


Starling's Shadow

by beware_of_fangirling



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crimes & Criminals, Fluff and Angst, Foreshadowing, Secrets, Superheroes, Villains, keeping secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 13:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4022338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beware_of_fangirling/pseuds/beware_of_fangirling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starling City has a new shadow creeper on the rise. Robbery reports featuring a black-clad figure have been flooding the SCPD for weeks, enough to get any bow slinging vigilante's attention. Arrow turns his sights on the new Shadow Thief, but with dangerous enemies lurking around every block, just waiting to strike, everyone needs a little help. To face these new threats, Oliver will form an unlikely alliance in order to save his city once again. Along his way he will face old foes, old mistakes and an old ghost. With the odds stacked against them, Oliver and his team will have to give everything they have for the sake of the greater good... including themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my newest fan fiction, so I hope you will stay tuned and check it out! Just a few notices: this story will update every Wednesday or sooner. It will also be 18 chapters and an epilogue. That is all for now!
> 
> Kudo, comment, bookmark, share!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

"Talk to me, Felicity."

_"There's nothing, absolutely nothing. It's all quiet."_

"Too quiet?"

_"Without a doubt. Something's going on, we just don't know what yet."_

"That's not very reassuring."

_"My immense skill does have its limits. Wait... This might be something."_

"Felicity?"

_"There's a robbery in progress. Neighbors saw someone enter the house, called the police. The responding officers won't be there for another 8 minutes. You can get there in 4."_

"What's the address?"

_"126 Hillmarry."_

Felicity turned down the comms with a sigh, unable to do much but wait until Oliver caught the perp. Diggle stirred beside her.

"Hillmarry? Isn't that in one of the wealthier neighborhoods?"

Felicity checked the screens, pulling up something on the house. "Yup. The house is worth over 40 million dollars."

Diggle whistled lowly. "This guy is going for the big leagues. You're sure he hasn't done anything before? People don't just target the 1-percenters on their first go."

"There are no details on this guy. We can't find out anything more until Oliver get them in," Felicity paused to check her watch, "30 seconds."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Meanwhile, Oliver was just entering the still silent house. The only thing disturbing the air was a slight breeze let in by and open window. Nothing seemed put of place and if Oliver didn't know better, he would assume he was the only intruder.

There was no sound, the owners of the house either not home or still asleep. It would be best that they stay that way.

Oliver looked around from under his hood, but he didn't see anyone. Where is the first place a theif would go?

Oliver jogged up the stairs, lightly as to avoid any creaking. All of the doors down the upper hallway were closed tightly with no lights on, but from underneath the third door to Oliver's right, a faint dusting of light shone through the finger of space at the bottom. He crept over the plush, expensive carpet to the door and, leaving no time for the intruder to hear him and escape, swung it open with his bow notched and held at the ready.

Show time.

The room, a study, appeared empty. Movement came from the corner of the Arrow's eye, but no one was there when he spun around. It was strange. He saw no one but at the same time knew he was not alone.

Another movement by the open window sent him spiraling to the right, just in time to catch the theif slipping back into the shadows. How they had gotten across the room without him noticing was a problem for another day.

Arrow trained his bow in the direction of where he had last seen the figure, but before he could focus his eyes enough to see in the dark, something breezed by his side and the door was slamming shut behind him.

He cursed and wrenched the door open bolting down the hall in chase of the theif. All he could see of them was a black shadow running down the hall to the staircase. Arrow sent a projectile flying at their feet to immobilize them, but instead of running in a straight line down the stairs, they vaulted over railing and into the foyer below.

Arrow followed suit and landed on his feet as they were running to the door. He loosed another arrow their way from his spot on the ground, this time a rope springing from the tip and wrapping around their leg. He wrenched the bow back and sent them to falling to the ground.

The theif hit the ground with a thud and Oliver was able to grab them by the arm before they got up, keeping them pinned to the ground.

He was now able to make out their form and observed that the theif was a female, lithe and slender, shorter then Thea. He would guess they were young but was unable to tell, due to their entire body being covered by a stretchy black body suit. Seen as silhouette, it would simply be a second skin.

She was stuggling under his hold, but what she surpassed him in the stealth and speed colum she lacked in strength, not standing a chance of moving his bulkier form.

Suddenly a clawed hand was being whipped around and cutting three long gashes diagonally across Arrow's face. He hissed in pain and she used the momentum of him flinching away from the cuts and her still traveling arm to flip them around. In a second, he was on the ground and she was disappearing out the door and into the night.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver threw open the door to the Arrow Cave and jogged angrily down the stairs to where Felicity was waiting for him. She eyes the cuts along his face and led him over to one of the tables. "What happened?"

"It was definitely a theif, and a good one at that. She got away."

"Did you see any identifying marks?"

"No," he sighed, angry at himself and the failed chase. "But she was a small woman dressed in all black."

"Like all female thieves?"

He gave Felicity a withering glare but she just laughed it off. "She had claws on her gloves, if that helps at all."

From his place by the computers, Diggle asked, "What did she take?"

Oliver frowned. When he thought about it, she hadn't taken anything. "Nothing physical, but I found her going through things in the study."

"She probably was copying account information," Felicity concluded. "I'll keep an eye on bank activity for the owners and track any missing funds."

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but was inturruped by the tell-tale beeps of someone punching in the access code to the Foundry. A second later, Laurel came down the stairs, still dressed from her day job. She looked at Oliver's face, where Felicity was just adding the final butterfly bandage. "Chase gone wrong?"

He nodded. "A theif on Hillmarry. Have you heard anything?"

"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. I was visiting my dad when the call came in. I went over with them to the house."

"Did the police have any ideas?"

"Better. They've seen this person before."

"They've been in Starling?"

"Not Starling. There were two detectives from Harrow City there. They had been tracking her for a few years, but never managed to catch her. She had a long spree in Harrow and jumped around some wealthier neighborhoods in the area but Starling is the first big city she hit in the past two years," Laurel explained.

Felicity moved over to the computer with Oliver to look the theif up in the Harrow City Police Database. "Have they come up with a name?"

"They're calling her the Shadow Theif."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

She came in through the window. Waltzing triumphantly across the hotel room floor, Shadow Theif was greeted by an automated voice from her advanced computer set up on the desk.

_"Welcome back, Miss. Night. Did you have a good time?"_

"A great one," she replied, plugging her glove chip into a dock on the computer to download the information. "I got all of the accounts. Drain them."

_"How much would you like to be transfered to NISA?"_

She faltered. "One eighth of the total."

_"Are you sure, miss?"_

"I'm sure. That's all he needs right now."

_"Very well."_

"Oh, and Giles, one more thing." She pulled off one of the bloodied claws from her suit and placed it into a scanner by her equipment. "Run a DNA analysis on the blood. I want to know exactly who the Arrow is."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Though all of the events in Starling City that night started the spiral and journey that would either destroy or preserve the city, none of them were the most important.

No, the most important thing happened miles away, in a secluded science base that's location was unknown to anyone but the highest supervisors and their most important patient.

"Sir, the doctor is here to see you."

"Thank you, Marissa," a weak voice from the bed replied. "Send him in."

The patient's personal nurse left and a short, stout doctor came into the room that reeked of death and burns. He stood by the foot of the bed, not focusing on the closed eyelids or pale skin of his patient.

"The serum will be ready soon," the doctor announced into the still air barely disturbed by the wheezing breath of the man on the bed.

"Good. We will begin the procedure as soon as possible."

"And my grant?"

The man chuckled, a sound disturbed by a fit of coughing. "If this works, you can go look for whatever the hell you want."

"Thank you Sir." The doctor nodded his thanks and left the room quickly, only able to breath again out in the hall.

Inside the room, alone, the man whispered into the silence, "Get ready for me Starling. I'm coming home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow works to track the newest player in town. Shadow Thief is after Arrow's true identity. A mysterious patient starts his journey home.

Oliver hated meetings.

Hated. Them.

However, despite his bemoaning and dragging his heels, Felicity was adamant that he needed to get Queen Consolidated back on its feet after Ray Palmer had cut his losses and moved back to his hometown in Connecticut.

So there he was, stuck in a boring meeting with potential investors for the new and improved QC. Felicity was taking the lead, as always, with him there for his charm and last name, as always. The investors were hesitant to pour their money and resources into a company with their past, but if anyone could win them over it was Felicity Smoak.

The meetings were always held in the small office space Oliver had rented out. Technically, Felicity had chose it, he just signed on the dotted line. It was a nice, airy space with enough room around to expand as the business regrew itself. Hopefully, they would be able to buy back the original building eventually, but Oliver was still lacking the money to do so.

Oliver shook the investors hands as they left with an amiable smile, but the second they were out of view, he sagged against the glass door. Felicity came to stand next to him and he wound an arm around her. "I hate meetings," he groaned.

She laughed. "I've noticed. I think we've got them though. We just have to wait to hear back."

Oliver nodded and straightened up when she went to collect her bag. "We're still on for tonight, right?"

She smiled. "Yep, movie night at the loft. I was thinking we could order in Thai?"

"Sounds great," he agreed happily pulling her in to a quick kiss. He held the door open and followed him out. "Going onto less pleasant matters than out date night, have you found anything on Shadow Thief?"

Felicity sighed. "Not much. I've been looking at old articles and reports but can't see anything the police missed. She's thourough, I'll give her that."

"Are there any ideas as to who she is?"

"There are many. Pretty much everyone who has heard of her has at least five speculations of her identity, but none have any basis of proof. Some have even said that she's Arrow's younger sister."

Oliver laughed. "Well, I'll ask Thea, but I'm not sure it will get us anywhere."

"Yeah, I doubt she's been juggling _two_ vigilante jobs since she became Speedy. What do we do now?"

He shrugged and sighed, "We wait until she reveals herself again."

They wouldn't have to wait long.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Shadow Thief sat on the precipice of the former Queen Consolidated building, looking over the city. Even in the middle of the night, Starling was illuminated by headlights, skyscrapers, and all the other lights of city life.

She had missed this. Harrow City wasn't as large or bustling as Starling, but it was a city nonetheless and her home. Since she left to do her business in suburbs, she hadn't gotten much chance to visit her hometown. Starling was the closest she got in the past two years.

Shadow Thief's quiet contemplation and peace was disturbed by Giles' computer animated voice in her ears. _"Miss, I have some troubling news?"_  


She tensed automatically. "Is he gone?"

_"No Miss, it is not that."_

She took a moment to be proud of how much like a human the AI of her own invention could sound. "Then what?"

_"I have come across someone attempting to hack into the accounts you obtained last night. It seems they are trying to track where you transfered the money to."_

"The police?"

_"It does not appear so. The servers use a different, more complex veil than the ones belonging to the department."_

"Can you get in?"

_"Yes, but it will take a little while."_

"How fast do you think JARVIS could do it?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Giles' reply came. _"You'llhave the location of the servers in 2 minutes and 43 seconds."_  


She smirked. The AI's fierce sense of competition never failed to amuse her. "One more thing. How is the DNA analysis coming along? Have you found out who Arrow is?"

_"I believe so, but I wanted to cross reference news reports and media to make sure before Isaid anything."_

"Who is it?"

_"Oliver Queen."_

☆ S ☆ S ☆

It was 2:32 p.m. when Oliver got the call. He was sleeping for the next 4 hours, per Felicity's demand, after a night of patrol on the streets of Starling. His phone rang from the bedside table, shattering the flimsy cover of sleep he had fallen into. Forever honed to wake alert and ready for action at the slightest disturbance, Oliver had the alarming device in his hand before the first ring had finished ricochetting through the room.

"Hello?"

  
_"Oliver,"_ Felicity's voice came eagerly from the other end.

"Felicity? Is something wrong?"

_"Shadow Thief is at one of the old QC warehouses. If you hurry you can get there in two minutes."_

"How do you know this?"

_"I got an alert that someone was trying tohack my servers. The IP address traced back to the warehouse. She actually registered her software under the name."_

"Does she know she's been tracked?"

_"Not yet. She's still trying to get in. I set up a circle for her to run herself out in, but it won't take long for her to realize you're coming. You have to hurry."_

"Good job. Thanks, Felicity. I'm leaving now. I'll call you when I've finished."

_"Okay. Be safe. I love you."_

"I love you too. Talk to you soon."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver made no sound as he entered the crumbling warehouse. It had been discontinued many years ago, back before the island, due to a dangerous chemical plant formerly belonging to Stagg Industries. By the time Stagg had moved out of that plant and Starling, the chemical waste had already rotted the building and the ground it stood on, making reopening or rebuilding impossible. It had stood there empty ever since.

The ceilings reached high up even in the glory days of this old warehouse, but years of growing rot had opened a gaping hole, allowing the moonlight to dankly illuminate Oliver's surroundings. He could make out the rusted catwalks lining the building's interior but there was no tell-tale sign of Shadow Thief or any of her equipment. Though, he knew now that just because he didn't see her, that didn't mean she wasn't there.

Luckily, Oliver didn't have to look or wander for long. Only moments after he had paced himself into the center of the room, directly under the eroded skylight, deliberately audible footsteps came from a catwalk to Oliver's right.

He swung around with a drawn and ready bow. On the catwalk stood a familiar silhouette. Oliver didn't say anything.

He didn't have to. "Oliver Queen. In the flesh. It's nice to meet you. I see you got my call." Her voice was that of a young woman, light and airy yet cocky and brash.

Oliver's fingers tightened around the bow. Anger and fear ran through his bloodstream. In a low voice made lower yet by the voice modulator, he grit out, "Where is Felicity?"

She laughed, a lighter sound than he would expect from a criminal. "Don't worry, I haven't gone near her, and I won't. The call you got came directly from me, the only interference being that of a vocal manipulator. It was easy, honestly. I got her voice from a press conference and ring ring!"

Oliver relaxed a fraction knowing that none of his team had been harmed. "Why did you bring me here?"

She swung around the railing, flipping off the suspended walkway and landing nearly twenty feet below on the concrete floor without a hitch in her breath. Oliver kept his bow on her the entire time but didn't release quite yet. She paced around him but did not change her distance.

"Because I wanted to talk to you. You interest me." She shrugged her lean shoulders and stopped her movements

"You wanted to talk to me? Why?"

"I told you, you interest me. Billionaire playboy turn crime fighting Legolas. Not something you hear everyday. It's actually fairly inspiring."

"Inspiring?"

She moved do that she was standing directly in front of his arrowhead, close enough that the razor-sharp tip touched her neck. Oliver still didn't release.

"I want to help you."

He laughed in disbelief, raising an eyebrow beneath his hood. "You want to help me? You're a thief."

"I was driven to this life by the most powerful force in this world or any other," she said darkly.

"And what force is that?"

"Boredom." Oliver couldn't see her face under the mask, but he would bet she was smirking. "I was bored, needed some excitement. So I became a thief. Now this is boring too. No one ever catches me. Last night was the most excitement I've had in months! You're life is exciting. I want it."

"Do you expect me to trust you?"

"What reason have I given you not to?"

"You're a criminal."

"Does that automatically make me a bad person?"

Oliver paused. She might not be a monster, or a killer, but Oliver still wouldn't be able to trust her. He couldn't work with some one he didn't trust. "No."

She sighed. "I figured that." She pulled a card seemingly from thin air and impaled it on the end of his arrow. "If you change your mind."

Oliver made the mistake of blinking. In the split second it took for him to complete the involuntarily action, she left. Oliver was left holding an arrow into the night. He growled and pulled his bow down, taking the card off his arrow.

_Call this when you realize I'm right: YES_

_I'll hear._

☆ S ☆ S ☆

"Dr. Kistler? The patient is ready for his first administration."

Dr. Fritz Kistler looked up from his papers. Marissa stood warily in the doorway to his blanch office. He sighed and pushed away the map he had been pouring over. "Has he been prepped and brought to the administration room?"

Marissa nodded. "He is waiting. He has been growing impatient." She paled at the thoughts of the patients frequent and terrifying rages.

"Keep him calm. I'll be in soon."

Marissa left and Dr. Kistler was left to his own devices. He pulled the Project RRR file from his locked desk drawer. With a project as imposing and dangerous as this, sefety lied in locks and keys.

Dr. Kistler left his office with one final glance back at the map he had discarded. _'Soon,'_ he thought. _'Soon I will be on my way. Soon I will find them.'_  


Everything was coming soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new villain-of-the-week emerges into Starling as Oliver ponders Show Thief's offer.

Oliver cursed as he entered the Foundry. Felicity and Diggle were already there, having received the message he sent while leaving the warehouse. He had decided not to wake Thea or Laurel; they could be debriefed in the morning before training. Felicity was slouched over at the computers, still half asleep, but she straightened when the door flew open. Digg was wide awake and ready for action, thanks to his years of military training.

Felicity stared at him with expectant worry when Oliver didn't say anything, just muttered under his breath as he put away his bow. "Well? What's going on that you woke us up at two in the morning?"

Oliver slapped his hand on the table. "She tricked me. She sent me a phone call as you telling me where to go. Worse, she knows."

"Knows what?"

"Everything! She knows who I am, she knows who works with me! I don't know how, but she's got everything."

Diggle folded his arms, his mind already turning to Lyla and Sarah. "Do you think she's going to cause trouble?"

Oliver sighed heavily. "I don't think so. In fact..." He trailed off.

Felicity waved an impatient hand. "Well?"

Another heavy sigh. "She proposed an alliance."

Felicity and Diggle's brows rose. He was the first to recover from the momentary shock. "What did you tell her?"

"I said no, of course. I can't work with someone I don't trust. Still, she gave me this card." He held out the card to Felicity, who took it eagerly.

She read the small scrawl. "' _Call this when you realize I'm right_.' That's ambiguous. I especially like the ending. ' _I'll hear_.'"

"I doubt you'll be able to get prints from that, but see what you can find." Felicity nodded but he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder when she turned to the computers. "Tomorrow. It can wait."

"Oliver-"

"We need sleep, Felicity. If you want to, you can come here as soon as you get up. For now, we could all use an extra few hours of sleep."

Felicity laughed lightly. "Normally I'm the one telling _you_ to get some sleep."

Despite her joke, Felicity dropped the card into her bag and stood up. Diggle followed behind as she an Oliver filed side by side up the stairs and out of the Foundry, the unanimous decision to leave communicated through one of their infamous and daily mental conversations. All that was on Diggle's mind was going home to his wife and daughter before another day of vigilantes, crime-fighting and arrows.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Shadow Thief was always on the aware for new experiances, new excitments, new endeavors to make her heart pound and her mind race. She hated sitting still, she hated being bored. Which was unforunate, because things didn't tend to hold her attention and favor for long.

She had been a thief for three years now, and it was getting tiring. She had worked hard become the best she could be, but now she had succeed in that and she was better than everyone else. No one even came close to catching her. No one came close to being exciting.

Then he came along. The billionaire with a bow, the aristocrat avenger. The night he caught her in that house was the most exciting night she had experianced in the past year. She had been immediatly interested in him. Learning his identity only made her more intrigued.

That was the life she wanted. He got to spend all night, every night running around, chasing criminals, nearly getting himself killed. There couldn't possibly be anything more exciting. So she had offered him an alliance, a chance for them to work together. It would be nice to be part of a team, but it didn't matter to her what Oliver Queen said. She would get her excitement no matter what.

She just had to wait fir something to come along.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Cain Daemon had built himself from rubble. He had been a broken man, beaten down to the earth by tough times and tougher consequenses. He lost his job, his home, his family, but he gained so much more.

When Cain raised himself, he raised an empire too. Gone were the days when he was looked down upon, the days when people pitied him and tried to help poor, broken Cain for the sake of their own self. Now Cain didn't need to be helped, and he certainly didn't need to be pitied. He needed to be feared.

People heard whispers of Satan on the streets. They talked in hushed tones of his minions, of his product, of his reign. His five year reign, which had been building and growing in the suburbs until finally, _finally_ , Starling City was his for the taking. Nothing could stop him anymore.

Doomsday was coming.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

How dare he distract her so, doing that damn salmon ladder without his shirt _like always._ Felicity was just sitting there minding her own business by tracking people online and he just _had_ to distract her. Nevermind that she saw this exact routine on a daily basis and was dating the man. It still never failed to draw her attention away from whatever she had been trying to do. It was quite rude really.

Felicity glanced away from where Oliver was doing his workout routine _yet again._ She had work to do. She couldn't afford to be driven off track by her boyfriend this time. They had to find out more about Shadow Thief before their next confrontation. She already knew way too much about all of them for their comfort. It was time they knew about her too.

Sadly though, Felicity's computers were the ones doing the work right now. She had set them to analyze the business card she left on Oliver's bow, but it was taking longer than she would have liked to get anything of use. So far it had cataloged the origin of the paper and ink, but there wasn't much she could do with that. The paper was from Staples, for God's sake!

It was another five minutes before her computer dinged, signaling that something had turned up, either from the analysis or the vast number of other processes her computers were set up to do under the surface. Felicity turned attentively to the screen, pulling up whatever notification had appeared.

It was an article from The Starling City Sentinel, topped with the headline 'Thirteenth Victim of Mysterious Drug Overdose Found in Apartment'.

_Found in apartment by neighbor... Blackened eyes... Decaying facial skin... Drug overdose... thirteenth victim with same symptoms found within the month... Substance unknown._

"Oliver! I think I have something."

Oliver dropped from the salmon ladder, coming close enough to press his chest against her back when he leaned down to see the screen. "Shadow Thief?"

"No, another possible criminal." Felicity watched Oliver's eyes flicked over the screen. "We could have another Vertigo on our hands."

Oliver nodded grimly. "I'll have Laurel see if she can get the autopsy reports. Maybe there's something there you can use." He glanced over at her, his face not far from her own. "Have you found anything on Shadow Thief?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. You should chase this guy while you can. She'll show up sooner or later. In the meantime, I'll see what I can dig up on this new guy."

Oliver nodded appreciatively and went back to the sparring dummies, which had already taken quite a few hits since Shadow Thief had shown up. Sensing her boyfriend's pent up frustration and aggression, Felicity left her computer to pick key words out of the articles and approached him slowly.

"You'll catch her, you know," she assured. "She's bound to make a mistake soon, and we'll get her then."

Oliver faltered in his rythm, then started up again, slower this time. "That's not the problem. I know I _could_ catch her, but..."

"But what?" Felicity kept all emotion but careful encouragement from her tone. She always knew how to handle Oliver the best.

"I'm not sure that we shouldn't take her up on her offer. I certainly don't like her knowing so much about us, you and Diggle the most. Even so, she could be useful as the occasional help. And talking to her... Felicity, she seemed so young. I wouldn't be surprised if she was younger than Thea. What is someone her age going to do on their own?

"She said something to me. Something about boredom making her do the things she does. What else could it lead her to? She could get herself killed out there, and I honestly don't think she deserves that. She doesn't seem like a bad person. She had the chance to hurt me, hurt _you_ and she didn't. She knows all of our identities and yet she hasn't done a thing."

"Are you saying you want to form an alliance?"

Oliver sighed and stopped completely. "I'm not sure. I don't trust her yet, but still... What do you think?"

Felicity sighed as well, answering slowly, "It's not exactly black and white. We have to think about safety, ours but also hers. It's reasonable that you don't trust her, but she hasn't done anything to suggest she's going to betray you. Then again, the best bad guys never do. It woudln't be the first time we've taken chances on people. In the end, it's all about trust."

Oliver nodded grimly at her, but his eyes were focused on an undefinable point in space, far away from their basement Arrow Cave. Felicity opened her mouth to give him more words of assurance, but another ding sounded from her computer. She went back to the monitors as Oliver shook himself back to the present.

A list of commonly repeating words was displayed on the screen. With a few keystrokes, Felicity eliminated the words that didn't have anything to do with drugs or were of no importance to her.

Oliver appeared silently behind her. "Anything?"

"Possibly. The autopsies from Laurel will help, but I found a link to a blog that speculates on the deaths. Apparently there was a similar drug epidemic in some of the suburbs and smaller cities over the past 5 years. The drug has been dubbed Armageddon by the public."

"Does the guy behind it have a name?"

"No real one, but the people have come up with their own name based on his drug."

"What?"

"Satan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the short and fairly unexciting chapter. I've been very busy this week and am having a total writer's block on this. Nonetheless, I wanted to stay true to my weekly updates so I hope you liked it anyway. 
> 
> Kudos, comment, bookmark, share!
> 
> Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver enlists the help of Laurel and Shadow Thief to take down Satan, a new drug lord on the streets of Starling.

Laurel Lance was not having a good day. She had been woken well beyond the human hour by her neighbor going around and asking for help finding her cat. After an attempt to sleep for two hours, she had been disturbed by the neighbor once again, this time to inform the other tenants that she had found the cat- it had been under her bed the entire time. Imagine that.

Upon arriving to work, Laurel had been informed that the evidence she had been building one of her cases around had gone missing during transport. The officers suspect one of the interns simply lost it, but it would take a while to relocate. She also had arrived at the District Office to find a fresh mound of paperwork on her desk.

With the stress of everything piling on top of her, Laurel was ready for the break when Oliver called at lunch asking for autopsy reports from the recent drug overdoses. She wasn't quite far gone enough to ponder when she had started considering stealing reports from her father's office a break.

Getting into Captain Lance's office undetected was easy since Laurel knew his entire schedule by heart. For instance, she knew that every Wednesday at 12:30 exactly, he went to the café down the street for coffee and a lunch sandwich. She also knew some of the smaller details, such as which drawer he put active files in when he was out of the office and where the key was kept.

No one questioned the captain's daughter going into his office, closing the door and pulling down the blinds. She was a powerful attorney, after all, and had very important, very legal business that it would just not do to have other people see.

Laurel didn't want to risk taking the original report itself. Her father had expressed extra interest in this case over their lunch together the previous day. He didn't say it, but Laurel knew that her previous addictions and problems played a significant role in that interest. No matter why, it would be too risky to take the report itself.

Laurel checked the time. 12:37. Quintin's lunch-run only took him 15 minutes. Laurel pulled the file from his third-lowest right-side drawer, where it had been stashed with the rest. It was noticeably larger, compiling the scanty information from 13 victims into one file. The autopsy reports from all of the victims were clipped together on top. Laurel scanned each page quickly, looking for the information she needed. The lawyer pulled out her phone and took quick photos of each page for Felicity.

After Laurel had 13 photos safely stored on her phones memory, she looked at her watch again. 12: 43. The captain would be back any minute. Laurel hastily replaced the papers within the file and moved the compilation into its spot in the pile. As Laurel moved away, the header of one of the files caught her eye.

_Thief, Shadow_

Laurel thought back to Oliver's run-in with Shadow Thief on her first night in Starling and then remembered that he had mentioned some news concerning her in his call. He had promised to explain later when she went to drop off the autopsies. In a moment of haste, Laurel jammed the file on Shadow Thief into her bag and pushed the drawer shut. She left the office a second before Quintin Lance approached the door.

"Laurel? Sweetie, were you looking for me?"

"Oh, hey dad," Laurel smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "No, I was just wondering if you wanted to get lunch, but I see you already have something."

"Really? Do you want to eat with me? You could order something in."

Laurel felt a moment of guilt for lying to her dad and declining his offer for lunch. "No, it's fine. I'll just call a friend." That was true at least. She would call a friend, just not for lunch. "I should leave you to eat. I'll see you later for dinner, okay?"

After another brush on the cheek and a quick hug, Laurel left her father in the precinct. Once she was outside, Laurel pulled out her phone, shooting off a quick text to Oliver.

_Have copies of autopsies. Free to meet til 2. -Laurel_

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver's phone buzzed in his lap and he oh-so reluctantly tore himself away from the untouched pile of paperwork he had been staring at for a half hour. Oliver read through Laurel's message quickly, then glanced at the colander Felicity had left on his desk. He didn't have any important meetings until a sit-down with his accountant at 4. That left plenty of time to get the autopsies from Laurel, recount the exploits of his night and get back.

Oliver practically leaped from his seat at the chance to do something other than sit around pretending to work and waiting. He pulled his overcoat from the back of his chair and left the tiny office. Digg was sitting outside the door, not even attempting to hide the game open on his phone. Oliver had no doubts that the bodyguard was still acutely aware of everything going on around him.

"Digg, I'm going to get the reports from Laurel. Could you bring the car around?"

Diggle rolled to his feet, seeming as grateful as Oliver to have something to do. Neither of them did well with doing nothing. Oliver watched him start down the hall than turned the other way to Felicity's office. He poked his head in through the doorway, smiling when she looked up from her computer.

"Hey, Laurel has the reports, so Digg and I are going to meet her. Want to come along?"

"Oliver, we're busy."

"Not right now. I checked the calendar and everything. Come on." He smiled devilishly, a smile he knew she couldn't resist, and jerked his head in a summoning gesture.

Felicity sighed, but smiled anyway. "Well, since you checked the calendar, I suppose an hour out of the office would be fine for both of us."

Oliver smiled full-out as Felicity locked the computer and picked up her handbag from where it sat at her feet. He held her coat out to her. "I'll tell her to meet us at Big Belly Burger."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Laurel sat in the greasy old booth at Big Belly Burger, waiting rather impatiently for Oliver to arrive. As previously mentioned, she was not having a good day and waiting around for a vigilante, no matter how good a friend of hers he was, was not how she planned to spend an hour. Laurel glanced at the pig clock hanging over the kitchen window. Oliver still had three minutes before he could officially be called late.

Just as the three minutes ended, the door sung open and Oliver strode in, looking around until he found her sitting in a booth towards the back. If Oliver was on time, that could only mean Felicity was close behind. As if on cue, the energetic blonde followed into the diner with John. They followed Oliver over to her booth, Felicity sliding into a seat with her while the boys took the other side.

"Laurel, you said you had the autopsies," Oliver say by way of greeting.

"Yes, I have them. Well, technically, I have photos of them. My dad is too invested in the case for him not to notice if the original reports were missing. I have the photos on my phone." Laurel held out the device only to have it removed from her hand by an eager Felicity. "Now are you going to tell me what is going on with Shadow Thief or not?"

As Oliver recounted the story of his 'meeting' with Shadow Thief, Laurel found herself thinking back to the two detectives who came to Starling on the night of the first break-in. When Oliver finished the tale, she immediately added in her information.

"According to the detectives who came and her file, no person has ever been harmed during one of her break-ins. At least, they haven't been seriously harmed. A few cops have gotten scratches when she was escaping, but she doesn't hurt anyone. Also, I checked it out and it looks like she works alone. She might have someone at her base telling her what's what, but there has never been any sign of her working with someone out on the field."

"You read her file?"

Laurel smiled and pulled the folder out of her bag. "I haven't gotten a chance to read more than what I did the first night, but I think this could be very helpful to you. Whatever you need to do though, hurry. I'm not sure how long it will take my dad to figure out it's missing."

Oliver tucked the folder into his jacket pocket and smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks Laurel, you've been a big help. If we track down this Satan guy and have a chance to go up against him, we'll call."

Oliver stood to leave, followed by Digg and Felicity, who added in their chimes of 'Bye Laurel'. As they were leaving, Laurel called out, "Felicity?"

The blonde turned back and smiled. "Yeah?"

Laurel held out her hand. "My phone."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Later that night in the Arrow Cave, Felicity's computers dinged, which always meant something interesting. This time it meant that the analysis from the autopsies had completed. Felicity pulled up the results screen, 'Aha!'ing and pumping her fist in the air when she read the desired information. The fist pumping routine never failed to get Oliver's attention and he paused sharpening his arrowheads in order to come see what the excitement was all about.

"What's going on?"

Felicity beamed up at him in pride. "The analysis for the autopsies just finished. I was able to break down the chemical make-up for Armageddon. There's a bunch of compounds I don't think you would know and a bunch I don't know either. There is, however, one specific compound that leaves a very special effect on its surroundings. It has to be made in a special plant so that it doesn't completely contaminate the world."

"What chemical is it?"

Felicity shrugged. "It's an odd one. No one is entirely sure what it is in truth, but I think it's the main ingredient in giving Armageddon it's rage-inducing properties. It's one of the Eleven Elements of Niym. There's not much information on it out there. That's not important now though. What's important is that there is only one discontinued power plant in Starling where they could be manufacturing the drug."

"Don't tell me it's one of the old QC plants," Oliver warned. He had enough problems getting his company back on its feet without hosting a drug lord in old plants.

Felicity rolled her lips into her mouth and turned wordlessly back to the computers, giving Oliver all the answer he needed.

"Great," Oliver sighed. "It doesn't matter. Just send the address to my phone. I'll head over there now."

"Call Laurel," Felicity suggested. "She helped a lot by getting the file for us, the least you can do is keep her in the loop. She might want to help in your confrontation with Satan."

Oliver nodded as he turned away, facing his green suit in its case. To no one in particular, he whispered, "Hero time."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

The Black Canary was still a relatively new name among the streets of Starling. She hadn't been around long enough for a mere whisper to command respect from the heroes and fear from the villains, not like the Arrow. Her connection with the original Canary helped her make her way in the world of vigilantism, but it was up to the Black Canary herself to earn her place. Any chance she got to take down a new bad guy helped.

This was why Laurel pried herself away from the promise of a hot meal and a place to rest her feet that night. Work had kept her late and she didn't even arrive back to her apartment until nearly 11 o'clock at night. Laurel had barely gotten through the doorway when her phone buzzed and then Oliver was telling her to suit up and meet him at one of the old QC chemical plants.

She left immediately and was there and ready before Arrow, which was a first in many ways. Normally the bow-slinging hero liked to be waiting for help with tense shoulders and an irritated expression. That time however, Black Canary was first. She debated waiting outside for him, but the carry of a heated argument from inside drew her away from the entrance and into the plant.

It wasn't hard to find Satan and his goonies. They clearly had thought themselves safe inside the plant and had set up camp close to the main entrance. It was even easier to pick out the ringleader from their group. Satan stood in the center of a loose ring of people, yelling at a teenage junkie about a missing shipment. His voice boomed through the plant as he accused the street dealer of stealing the product.

The man stuttered in his defense, but the lawyer in Laurel identified it as fear and not dishonesty. He had truly lost the product, or had it taken from him. Satan laughed at the boy's weak denial, pulling a gun out of his waistband as he said, "You'll learn your lesson quick enough, boy."

As soon as the firearm was pulled, Laurel took action. She flicked her bow-staff to its full length, charging in to the room before anyone could comprehend her sudden appearance. Taking down the outer circle of minions was easy enough. The first five men to come at her fell with a few quick jabs.

The next wave of people to come at her didn't fall so easily. Laurel could tell as they advanced that they were under the effects of Armageddon. Their eyes were blood-shot and even as they swung she could see their fists shake. Though the drug gave them more rage, it lessened their precision and skill. Laurel took them down in a few moments.

By the time the last minion had fallen, the dealer had run off, leaving only Laurel and Satan alone together in the plant. He didn't appear scared, merely smiling smugly at her.

"You're fast," he smirked, but it sounded underwater to Laurel. Her vision swam and blurred as he pointed to a small dart in her arm. "Just not fast enough."

His laugh was the last thing Laurel remembered before the world went black.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

This time, it was not Oliver's fault that he was late. It was all because of Shadow Thief.

Oliver had been only minutes away from the plant and Satan when he became acutely aware of something on the back of his bike. Thinking it was a suicidal squirrel, Oliver ignored it, but when it didn't jump off, he slowed down and turned to look.

A black-clad figure was balancing cross-legged in the back of his bike.

Oliver veered off the main road and came to an abrupt stop. The sudden movement caused his passenger to flip over him and the handlebars, but she landed on her feet in front of him. Oliver was pretty sure she had meant to do that.

"Hello," Shadow Thief said by way of greeting.

Oliver got off the bike, growling, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "I figure I'd catch a ride to Satan."

"How did you even know where he was?"

"I've been keeping tabs on this city, especially the crime life. I have my resources too."

"I don't care. Just stay out of my way." Oliver moved back to his bike, but a gloved hand on the handlebar stopped him from driving away.

"I can help you, you know. Just give me a chance."

Oliver sighed, but gave her a curt nod. "Get on."

He could practically see her grin under the mask. She climbed onto the bike behind him, but he had one more thing to say before they left.

"At least tell me your name."

"Alyson Night," she answered automatically. "Did you expect me to not want to tell you?"

"Why didn't you before?"

She laughed and when she answered there was a grin in her voice. "You didn't ask."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyson is introduced to Team Arrow and Satan captures a few important chess pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in updates. The next chapter will be published as scheduled. For clarification, Alyson Night/ Shadow Thief is an original character, not created by DC. All copyrights belong to me in her regard. Hope you liked this chapter. Bye peoples!

The warehouse was quiet when they rumbled up on the motorcycle. The engine rippled through the silence like an earthquake before abruptly cutting off. Oliver swung his leg around as Alyson jumped off the back.

"It's empty," she announced.

"How do you know?"

She raised a delicate gloved finger to her eye, or at least where her eye would be. "Scanners. No sign of body heat whatsoever. They've all fled."

To himself, Oliver muttered, "Where's Laurel?"

"The Black Canary, right?"

Oliver turned to her. "How do you know so much about my associates?"

"Once I figured out who you were, piecing together the rest was easy," she shrugged.

"And how did you figure out who I was?"

"That first night, when I scratched you, there was blood left on my claw. I ran an analysis and checked some reports to make sure it was really you."

He eyed her suspiciously, his eyes narrowing into sits under the mask and hood. "You're being oddly open, and possibly honest."

"I am being honest. I meant it when I said I want us to be allies. That means we have to trust each other. I'll tell you anything you want to know." Alyson leaned against the motorcycle, obviously ready for whatever kind of conversation he threw at her.

"Who are you?" An obvious start.

"I already told you my name was Alyson Night. My past isn't something I love to talk about, which I'm sure you understand. Anything you want to know can be found online," she breezed. "Next?"

"Do you have acomplises?"

"Only an AI of my own invention, if that counts. I named him Giles. You'll meet him soon enough. Other than that, I'm on my own. You would be the first person I teamed up with. Oh, and before you ask, I don't work for anyone."

Oliver nodded. "What are your skills?"

"Stealth is my area of expertise. I've trained in hand-to-hand combat and a few forms of weaponry, but I don't like confrontation unless necessary. I'd rather slink into the shadows than splatter the walls with blood."

"If your scared of fighting, you're in the wrong line of business," Oliver laughed bitterly.

"I'm not scared," she corrected. "I just don't like hurting people. Anything else?"

"Not for now. You can meet the rest of my team tomorrow. I'm sure they'll come up with more questions for you."

Alyson nodded. "Should I meet you at the Foundry or a neutral location?"

"You know where the Foundry is." Oliver wasn't even surprised enough to make it a question.

"I know a lot of things."

"Meet me outside the Foundry at noon. Wear your civvies. I'd be nice to actually know what you looked like."

"Sure thing." Oliver could tell that she was smirking under the mask. "This next trick works best if you blink."

Oliver chuckled and blinked once. When he opened his eyes, he was alone with his motorcycle.

Tomorrow, he would introduce Alyson to the team. He would talk to Laurel. He would plan what to do next with Satan.

Tonight, he would sleep.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Alarms were Lucifer's housewarming gift to humanity.

There was no other possible explanation for why Alyson Night was being awoken at seven in the morning by a shrill, high-pitched beep. She shot a hand out and slammed it down on top of the offending timepiece to shut it up. If the sound of shattering glass and crushed framework was anything to go by, her annoyance had gotten the best of her.

Sure enough, when Alyson rolled her head over the side of the bed, the hotel-provided clock was lying in wreckage on the floor. Oh well. She could fix it, and maybe change the tune while she was at it. No one should have to suffer as she.

Alyson rolled back into the middle of the king-sized bed, pulling her pillow over her head to block out the sunlight already filtering in through the ginormous glass windows.

_"Miss Night, I believe your clock was telling you it is time to start the day. Furthermore, I do not appreciate how you treated my associate machinery."_

"Cry me a river," she grumbled. "Then build a bridge, get me coffee from a café on the other side and bring it back over." Man could not survive on nutrients and protein alone. Caffeine was an essential part of every healthy diet.

_"I will begin a brew for the finest coffee this hotel can offer right away. If you get out of bed and fix the clock, that is."_

Alyson glared at the computer on her desk, where Giles lived for the most part. "Who programmed you to negotiate? Or to make friends? You know what, I can start the coffee brew myself."

_"You may find that the machine has spontaneously broken and will take several hours to repair."_

Alyson took in a deep, highly annoyed breath. "Fine. I'll fix the clock. Can you wait until tonight? I have to meet Oliver."

"You are scheduled to meet him by the exterior of the Foundry, located in the Glades, at noon. It is currently 11:48."

Alyson jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom, yelling over her shoulder, " _Now_ you do your job!"

She would swear she heard him chuckle.

Through some stroke of Flash-like speed and adrenaline, Alyson made it to the Foundry at exactly 12:00, dressed in casual, non-burglar-esque civvies. Oliver Queen was waiting by the entrance for her in his own street-clothes. She recognized him instantly from the news, even if she had only seen him under a hood in person. He didn't hear her approach until she cleared her throat. Once a super-silent-ninja, always a super-silent-ninja.

Oliver assessed her quickly, and Alyson found herself wondering what he saw. Wild blonde waves, blue eyes, jeans, white top, brown jacket. Something she saw everyday, but he could only have wondered at before now.

"Hi Oliver," she greeted when he finished his mental catalogue of her appearance.

"Alyson?"

"Last time I checked."

He seemed surprised. "You're younger than I expected. How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty this fall," Alyson answered honestly.

He seemed even more surprised at that. "You've been a thief for three years." It was spoken as a statement, but Alyson heard the question underneath.

"I was an emancipated minor," she explained, not elaborating past that.

Oliver took the answer for what it was and motioned for her to follow him. "Come on, it's time for you to meet the team. Officially."

Alyson followed Oliver through Verdant to the back hallway. He punched a four-digit code into the pad on the wall and a previously inconspicuous door swung open. He led Alyson down the steps, but she stopped halfway down, gazing across the expansive basement. There was more exercise equipment than she had ever seen. Glass cases held suits that somehow looked simultaneously more and less intimidating without a person wearing them.

Let's not even start on the computers.

When Alyson recovered from her shock, Oliver turned to the three other people in the room who had previously gone unnoticed.

"Alyson, meet Felicity Smoak, John Diggle and my sister Thea. We have a few more members, but they're not here right now. You should meet Laurel Lance later and Roy Harper, publicly known as Arsenal, tends to be a freelancer. He's there when we need it, though."

She'd already figured out much about them all; Felicity Smoak, IT Expert and Provider of Sanity; John Diggle, Official Coolest Bodyguard Ever; Thea Queen, Padawan and Night Club Owner.

Felicity was the first to stand and smile at Alyson, while Diggle and Thea assessed her warily. "It's nice to meet you, Alyson..."

"Night," she supplied. "Alyson Night."

Thea gaped at her, holding up a hand. "Wait, as in Alyson Night, daughter of Nathan Night, the reclusive billionaire?"

Alyson grimaced. "That would be me."

The younger Queen shook her head in shock. "That cant be possible. You dissappeared years ago!"

Oliver's head snapped to Alyson. So she had been lying. "If you're not Alyson Night, who ate you?"

"No! I am Alyson. I never went missing." She sighed. This wasn't how she wanted to walk down memory lane. "Three years ago I was emancipated. I left home, but my father didn't want to admit I hadn't wanted to be there. It wouldn't have been good for his image to be hated by his own daughter. The press assumed I had gone missing or ran away or whatever."

Oliver opened his mouth to press for more answers, trying to decipher if she was lying, but Felicity saved him the trouble.

"She's telling the truth." The bottle-blonde held out her tablet to Oliver, where a photo of a younger but undoubtedly familiar Alyson was displayed. The young girl stood smiling at the camera with her father at a benefit picnic. No one would guess her smile was fake. "This was taken when you were fifteen, right?"

"Yeah. The emancipation process had only just started. I was sixteen when it was finalized." Alyson glanced at their faces. "So, this is the Arrow Cave?" Subtle, subtle.

Felicity beamed and Oliver groaned. "See! I'm not the only one who wants to call it that!"

Through a surpressed smile, Oliver sighed, "Can we table this christening for now? We have more important matters on our hands. Namely, this Satan."

Diggle spoke up for the first time, asking, "Didn't you and Laurel seek him out last night? What happened?"

"No one was there when Alyson and I arrived."

"Both of you?"

"Yes, but not necessarily together," Oliver clarified, sending Alyson a look when he recalled their unplanned carpool. "I figured Laurel could clear things up a bit."

"Laurel's not here. In fact, I haven't heard from her all day," Felicity added. A glance at Thea and Dig confirmed that they hadn't either.

"Well where is she?"

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Everything was red when Laurel opened her eyes. The unfamiliar room she was in was tinted with a crimson hue, as were the chains around her hands. More so, everything was blurred around the edges, like she was wearing glasses that didn't belong to her. Laurel rolled her shoulders, groaning when her back lit up with aches after what was presumably hours spent slumped against a wall. Her noise triggered movement on the other side of the room.

Laurel could make out the shape and blurry features of Satan as he put his book down and moved across the room to squat in front of her. He was smiling, cold and calculating like the glint in his eyes. Laurel tried to pull herself more upright, prepared to defend or attack, but her muscles felt detached and leaden.

"I'm sorry for the less then comfortable position I have put you in," he said in a voice filled with misleading softness and concern. "It may take you a few minutes to regain your bearings, but I wanted to speak to you before the injection."

In a weak voice, Laurel croaked, "Injection?"

Satan ignored her. "I heard about you, Black Canary. You work with the Arrow, don't you? I guess I got lucky that you found me before he did. He would be much less cooperative than you in what comes next."

"Why am I here?"

"Because, I have a job for you."

"What makes you think I would do anything for you?"

"You won't have a choice. You see, I don't need your mind. I just need your skill." Satan stood abruptly and walked over to the table next to Laurel. From a silver briefcase, he pulled out a syringe. The liquid inside appeared red, but then again, so did everything else.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt. It'll actually be quite enjoyable. People wouldn't buy it if it wasn't."

"Armageddon," Laurel whispered.

"Quite right. You may feel a bit angrier than usual, but that will just make the job you have to do easier."

"What job?"

"I need you to bring me Alyson Night."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

_"You've reached Laurel Lance. Please leave you're name and number and I will return your call as soon as possible."_

Oliver cursed and hung up, cutting off the annoying beep he had heard one too many times in the past hour. He turned back to where Felicity was sitting at the computer. "I can't reach her. Any luck tracing her cell?"

"From what I can tell, it's at her apartment, but security footage from the building doesn't show her coming in at any point today. Her alarm is still active and hasn't been turned on since last night. She's not home."

"If she was at work she would have called to say she wouldn't be here. Something's wrong," Dig stated.

Thea moved away from where she was showing Alyson the suits. "We should go out and look for her."

"In broad daylight?"

"We can go in our civvies," she pointed out. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Oliver stared at the map on Felicity's screen for another long second before nodding. "Thea, you check her apartment and work just in case. Felicity and Dig can go to the precinct to see if Lance has heard from her. Alyson and I will check back at the warehouse to see if we find anything. If were lucky, someone will have come back."

Felicity stood up. "We can't go in unprepared. Satan has his own drug as a weapon and he will use it. I had my computer figure out the formula for an antidote, but I have no way to cook it up. I was going to send it to Cisco today."

Alyson smiled brightly. "Actually, I might be able to help with that."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

"Of course you have a chemistry lab in your hotel room," Felicity said to herself. "Why wouldn't you?"

Alyson beamed at her. "Felicity, meet Giles. He's my AI, babysitter, accomplice, pain in the ass."

_"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Smoak."_

Felicity laughed. "It's nice to meet you too. Alyson, did you make this?"

"Yep. He can travel on any device, morph different features and befriend alarm clocks." Alyson directed Felicity to one of the various ports on her desk. "If you plug in the formula here, he'll make enough antidote for us all. It should only take a few minutes."

"Thanks," Felicity said as she typed in the formula.

_"It is no problem Miss Smoak. Would you like some coffee?"_

Alyson glared at the computer. "Now you're just being mean."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Alyson surveyed the warehouse carefully from one of the ceiling beams. From here, she could see small blood-stains on the floor, as if a fight had occurred. Most likely, one had. Oliver paced across the floor, cataloguing everything.

Alyson dropped down in one graceful move to stand next to him. "I'm going to check out in the back to see if there are any tracks."

He grunted in assent, clearly focused on possible scenarios and theories. Alyson moved around him to the back exit, stepping lightly into the crisp air. The sun beat down on her and she was instantly thankful to not be in her black suit. Alyson crouched down next to a set of tire-tracks, pulling out her phone to take a photo. Felicity or Giles could run diagnostics when they all got back to the Arrow Cave.

Alyson felt movement behind her and turned to tell Oliver about the tracks, but stopped when she saw a familiar face, one that had been on the news many times for helping the Arrow.

"Laurel? Hey, it's good we found you. I'm Alyson Night, I'm kind of helping Oliver now, I guess."

Laurel Lance, still dressed as the Black Canary, swayed on her feet. Alyson stared at her in worry. Was she injured?

"Laurel, are you okay? We should get Oliver."

Alyson moved past Laurel to go back to the building, but stopped when a knife slithered across her throat.

"You're not going to go anywhere."

A small needle poked Alyson in the neck and the world went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyson has a run in with Satan and his minion-ized Laurel.

Oliver glanced up from the floor of the warehouse. Alyson had gone looking around the back almost ten minutes ago. Could something have- No, it wouldn't have. He would have heard something. Oliver was distracted by a soft vibration from his pocket. He pulled out his phone, pressing the answer button when he saw Felicity's face smiling up at him.

"Did you find anything at the precinct?"

_"Hello to you too, yes I am doing well and no these shoes are not Prada but thank you for the compliment. We didn't find anything. Lance hasn't heard from her since yesterday afternoon. We just told him we wanted to get something to eat with her so he didn't worry. How about the warehouse?"_

"Not much. There was pretty obviously a fight here, but nothing to suggest where Satan is now. I'll bring you back blood samples."

_"You know, some guys just get their girlfriends flowers. I like that you're being unique, though."_

Oliver laughed lightly. "I'll make up for my poor gift-giving skills around Christmas."

_"You'd better. Be safe. I love you."_

"Love you too." Oliver ended the call and looked around again.

Alyson still hadn't wandered inside yet. He stood from his position and walked towards the back exit. Maybe she found something and was talking to Giles about it. That device still sort of freaked Oliver out. He did not need an electronic form of Felicity.

There was no one but Oliver outside the warehouse. Alyson was gone. The question was: Why? He hated to think that she had betrayed them. Oliver had gotten very good at reading people and he hadn't thought she was dishonest. He still hoped she wasn't.

A glaring reflection from the ground drew Oliver's attention. He walked closer and saw it was a phone. Alyson's phone. Oliver picked up the device, but almost dropped it again when it suddenly... spoke?

_"Mr. Queen."_

Oliver stared at the phone in his hand, seeing no caller who could be speaking. Unless...

"Giles?"

_"Yes, Mr. Queen. I realize we have never formally met and I apologize for my bluntness, but this is no situation for pleasantries."_

"What's going on? Where is Alyson?"

_"That is precisely the problem. My connection to Miss Night has been severed. She is no longer accessible to me."_

"And what does that mean?"

_"Miss Night would never turn off  the connection device on her person. Someone else has. She is in danger."_

"You're sure about this? It didn't just die or malfunction?"

_"Mr. Queen, I know my software and I know my creator. It did not die or malfunction."_

Oliver had never known a automated voice could sound so condescending. "So what do you think happened to her?"

_"I do not speculate, Mr. Queen. I merely collect facts. All I know is that I registered another person's heat signature right before the connector was turned off._ _"_

"Do you think she was attacked?"

_"That_ _is_ _the only reasonable scenario_ _I_ _see. I have identified the attacker. It was the Black Canary, also known as Laurel Lance."_

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would Laurel attack Alyson. I left a voice mail saying we would be working with her."

_"Of that_ _I_ _am not sure, Mr. Queen. I only know that my creator is in danger. I also know_ _I_ _can make your life very difficult if you do not find her very soon."_

"Is that a threat? Am I being threatened by a robot?"

A painfuk shock rippled through Oliver's hand. He hissed and the phone fell out of his hand.

_"Do not take me lightly Mr. Queen. Find Alyson Night."_

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Felicity and Digg were just settling down in the Foundry when Oliver came in, holding a phone that wasn't his and mumbling something about 'homicidal technology' and 'overthrowing authority'.

"Hey," she greeted as he put away his concealed weaponry. "How did it go?"

"Alyson was kidnapped," he stated bluntly.

Felicity gaped at him. "Kidnapped? As in..."

"Taken against will," Oliver supplied dryly. "Yeah. Giles saw- or, felt, I guess- the whole thing."

Diggle came to stand next to Oliver, a concerned expresion contorting his features. "Does he have any idea who did it?"

Oliver ran a hand down his face. "He says it was Laurel."

Diggle scoffed. "That's ridiculous. Laurel wouldn't kidnap someone."

"We don't know what happened last night and I have no doubt Satan had something to do with the kidnapping."

"Oliver, has it ever occurred to you that the machine lied to you? Alyson could be working with Satan to get to you. This entire thing could be a set up!"

Oliver shook his head wearily. "I don't think so, Digg."

"I have to agree," Felicity cut in. "I don't think Alyson has betrayed us or is even planning to. She really just wants to help Starling."

Diggle sighed and turned away from them slightly. "Fine. Fine, we'll believe she was kidnapped. Now what?"

"Now we find her before we are destroyed by angry WiFi-compatible computers." At his teammates' odd looks, Oliver added, "Long story, not important. Felicity, do you think you have a way to track Alyson or Satan?"

Felicity sat down at her computer and pulled the keyboard over to herself. "Unless Alyson still has some technology on, I can't find her. I may, however, be able to track whoever took her. How did you feel them, Giles?"

A voice from the computer answered. _"I felt their heat signature and identified their form."_

 _Olive_ r jumped. "How did he get in your computer?"

"Alyson gave me a plug in. He's very useful."

_"Y_ _ou're too kind, Miss Smoak."_

Felicity laughed lightly. "Thank you Giles. Do you think you would be able to track where this person went based on their heat signature?"

_"Perhaps. I would need a larger software than Miss Night's phone. May_ _I_ _borrow_ _your_ _computer?"_

"Go ahead."

The machinery lit and whirred for a few long moments before settling again. _"I have tracked the culprit to Papp Motel. Once inside, they moved a few times_ _from_ _room to room. I would conclude that Satan has booked multiple units_ _and_ _is using the motel as his base while in Starling."_

"We're on it," Oliver confirmed. "Thanks, Giles."

 _"Mr. Queen?"_ Oliver also hadn't known how sad an automated voice could sound. _"Make sure Miss Night knows_ _I'll_ _have coffee waiting for her upon_ _her_ _return."_

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Alyson woke up to a gun in her face and a chain holding her hands above her head. Her feet were locked down onto the ground and someone was smirking behind the barrel. What a perfect time to wake, right before she died.

Alyson braced herself for the shot, for the bullet to enter her skull, but it never came. The person holding the gun laughed menacingly and clicked the safety back on. The barrel was removed from her face. Alyson would have sagged in relief, but she was already being dangled off her feet. She finally got a chance to focus in on the face of the shooter.

The middle-aged man placed his gun back down on the table in the corner of the room. "Hello Miss Night. I have been waiting to meet you."

"Satan, I assume," Alyson croaked weakly.

"Cain Daemon is my real name. You might as well know that. Soon, everyone will."

"What do you want with me?"

"I simply require some information you can provide," Cain shrugged.

Alyson bristled. "I'm not going to tell you anything about the Arrow."

"That's not what I was talking about. I want to know about NISA."

If it was even possible, Alyson grew more tense. She didn't say anything, for fear she would regret what came next.

"Oh, yes, I know all about that," Cain continued. "The Night Institute of Scientific Advancement. Although, truly, it's not. You say you want to save the world but the whole point is to save your sick father."

"You don't know anything," Alyson ground out. If he knew about NISA, what else did he know about?

"I know that you're using a very special something to medicate poor Mr. Night. Something I need."

"I don't know anything about medication. I only help fund the organization. What they do with that money is not my area of expertise."

Cain's face hardened and he growled out, "Fine. If you won't tell me on your own, my friend can help you out." He moved to the door and wrenched it open, calling out to the hallway, "Send her in."

Laurel was the one who stepped through the door, still dressed as the Canary.

Cain spoke to her, never taking his eyes off Alyson. "Make sure she tells you. No matter what."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

There was always a mixed rush of feelings that came with donning the green hood. In some ways, it made Oliver feel trapped, condemned to this life of heroism no matter the personal cost. There was always the fleeting thought that this might be the night he didn't live past. At the same time, there was always the rush of freedom. He was no longer Oliver Queen, he was no longer anyone. He was just a shadow in the night and shadows had great power.

The sound of Diggle loading his firearms snapped Oliver from his evening contemplation on hoods and mixed feelings.

He turned to his team, asking, "Are we ready?"

Diggle shrugged. "We know where we're going, we know who we need to find, we know what the mission is. So why do I feel so unprepared?"

Oliver shook his head slowly. "The way I see it, there are two extreme scenarios. The best one: We find Alyson and Laurel and take down Satan."

"And the worst?"

"We all die."

Diggle sighed. "So what's the plan?"

Oliver strode past him to the stairs. "Don't die."

Diggle mumbled under his breath, "Business as usual," and followed him out.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

(Alyson and Laurel scene)

Another scream pierced the air as Laurel's blade sliced through Alyson's flesh. At this point, the former thief's suit was in shreds and her mask had been unceremoniously ripped off. Blood dripped from numerous cuts, courtesy of the crazed Black Canary.

"I'm asking you again," the vigilante in question stated. "Where is NISA based?"

"I... don't... know," Alyson panted.

Laurel raised the blade to Alyson's skin and prepared to slash.

"Wait! Stop," Alyson pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

"What"

"You're not a bad person, Laurel."

The woman scoffed. "You don't even know me."

"Oliver does. And he wouldn't like what you're doing. It doesn't take a close friend to know that."

"Stay out of my personal business," Laurel growled. "Didn't you hear? Curiosity killed the cat."

"You're right," Alyson conceded.

At that moment, two things happened. The rope binding Alyson's wrists snapped after being sawed at through hours of torture and Oliver Queen broke the door to Room 8 of the Papp Motel. As Laurel spun around to face the intruder, Alyson swiped her now free claws across the brunette's neck, watching in pleasure as the antidote seeped into her blood-stream.

"But the cat got the canary."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Team Arrow needed a night off. Or a week-long vacation. Or a pension fund.

But they could settle for the first.

That night, Oliver sat on the loft couch and mocked The Real Housewives of Starling City with Thea deep into the night. They binged on fatty foods that would be excessively worked off the next day and fell asleep half-past three in the morning.

Felicity arrived at her house to find a bouquet of flowers waiting for her. She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face when she read the attached card. _'Merry Christmas.'_

Diggle spent the night with Lyla on their sofa, reminiscing about their glory days and listening for any feed from the baby monitor.

Alyson fixed her alarm clock and drank a much anticipated cup of coffee.

Tomorrow they could save the world. Tonight, the world could wait it's turn.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team takes some down time to asses Alyson and a new player comes to Starling.

About a week after the Satan incident, things were quiet. The team was taking some time to themselves and Alyson was starting to learn the ropes. She and Laurel had quickly made peace with each other and Roy was scheduled to drop by soon and meet their newest trainee.

It was a loud ding of her email that woke Felicity in the middle of the night. The bottle blonde groaned loudly into the darkness and glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table. 5:00 blinked at her in harsh red. Who the heck would be emailing her at five in the morning?

Felicity rolled off the bed and trudged to her desk, where she had left the computer after checking the scanners. Whoever had woken her before a humane hour would have hell to pay.

Her bad mood slowly dissipated when she saw Oliver's email in the From bar.

_**To:** _ _fsmoak@queenconsolidated.com_   
_**From:** _ _oqueen@queenconsolidated.com_

_Sorry_ _to_ _wake you babe. Just wanted to let you know you_ _don't_ _have to come to the office today. Meet at the Foundry around one. I want to evaluate Alyson privately starting at noon. Love you._

_-Oliver_

Felicity closed the email and returned to her bed, shutting off her work alarm. The least her crazy emailing boss/boyfriend/superhero was let her get another 5 hours of sleep.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver met Alyson outside of the Foundry once again. They didn't linger outside this time, heading directly inside. Oliver stepped aside when they reached the entrance. He held no illusions that Giles hadn't told Alyson the password the first time it was entered.

Alyson glanced up at him before moving closer and entering in the code. The door swung open with a heavy mechanic swoosh and she led them down this time.

They had arrived before the rest, unlike before when the team had assembled early. The two sets of footsteps echoed loudly on the floor.

Oliver turned to Alyson once they stood in the center of the spacious room. "Today is to evaluate your skill and see where we need to train more. I've seen first hand that you're pretty good in the stealth department, but we'll see about combat."

"'Pretty good'?" Alyson quoted with a smirk. "I'm in the wrong business if I'm only 'pretty good'."

Oliver gave her a noncommittal shrug in response. "The clothes you're in should be good for the evaluation. There is a bathroom in the far corner if you ever need to change here, which you probably will when we go out suited up."

Alyson smiled slyly. "My suit doesn't require a changing room and/or phone booth."

Oliver glanced at her curiously. "You wear it under your clothes?"

"Not exactly."

With a smirk, Alyson brought her hand up to tap lightly on the silver crescent moon pendant hung around her neck. Slowly but surely, the color of her jeans and shirt faded into black and formed against her skin. Her sleeves elongated until they covered her fingers as clawed gloves. A pull-on hood dangled down Alyson's back from her neck. In less than a minute, Shadow Thief stood before Oliver, fully suited and ready to go.

"Special electronic transformative fibers of my own design," Alyson explained proudly. "I program a civilian outfit into Giles' database and he does the rest. I can go from Alyson Night to Shadow Thief without any hassle."

Oliver nodded appreciatively. "Just wait until Cisco sees that."

"Cisco?"

"He works with the Flash," Oliver explained offhandedly. "Change back and let's get to work."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Felicity's heels clicked down the stairs into a vacant Arrow Cave. "Oliver?" she called out. He had said he would be there at noon, hadn't he? So why wasn't he here?

The sound of skin hitting skin drew Felicity's attention to the practice area, but Oliver and Alyson weren't there. The sound came again and, filled with confusion and an odd sort of exasperated dread, Felicity looked up.

Oliver and Alyson were engaged in a hand-to-hand sparing match on the ceiling beams. Felicity felt like she should be more surprised.

"Oliver!"

Oliver caught Alyson's flying arm and glanced down at his girlfriend, even though she felt more like a babysitter at times. "Hey," he called brightly.

Alyson took advantage of Oliver's distracted state to swing around to his other side on the beam, actually using his grip on her arm as leverage. She landed a swift kick to the back of his knee and pulled away.

Before Oliver could retaliate, Felicity called up, "Would you two get down here before you die?

In an effort to appease Felicity, Oliver slid down the fireman pole they had installed for the times he wanted to practice scaling. Alyson, however, jumped straight down, landing in a roll and coming to stop directly before Felicity.

"So, how did you do in the evaluations?"

"Agility and speed were the best. I could use some work on strength and combat," Alyson shrugged.

"It's not that you can't land a solid blow," Oliver cut in. "You _won't._ "

"It's don't like hurting people, I told you that. I'll do it for real when I'm actually in a fight," she protested.

"If you don't practice that way, how do you know you can?"

Instead of vocally responding, Alyson spun around and in a split second she was sitting on top of Oliver's back with his arm wrenched behind him and his nose slightly bloodied. Alyson released him and stood.

Completely calm, she said, "That's how I know."

Felicity watched carefully for Oliver's reaction when Alyson held out her hand to help him up. Luckily, he just laughed, apparently more amused than angry. Alyson pulled him to his feet as Felicity walked over to her computer.

"We have one more thing for you to do before you are fully initiated into the team," Oliver announced.

"What?"

Oliver smirked triumphantly at her. "Coffee run."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Alyson stepped into the cool air of The Grind and Jolt Cafe. A small queue had formed at the counter and Alyson sent a mental eye roll Oliver's way for making her get the coffee. At least it beat slapping water, something Felicity had joked about Roy having to do.

Alyson wasn't sure she was joking.

The line slowly moved forward until it was Alyson's turn to order. Behind the counter stood a handsome man around Alyson's age sporting a name tag that read GRANT. His short brown hair had just the hint of a wave and his hazel eyes smiled with his mouth.

"What can I get you?"

"Two medium blacks, one with sugar, one cappuccino and one iced mocha latte," Alyson read from the scrawled list Felicity had given her.

Grant smiled at her, though he had never really stopped. "Coming right up. Order name?"

"Alyson," she replied.

Grant pushed away from the counter as Alyson moved to the pick-up counter. It was only a few minutes before Alyson's name was called out by one of the other baristas.

As she took the cups and left, Alyson looked back to see Grant smiling over at her. His eyes dropped to the cups in her hand before darting back up to hers. Someone called for him to get back to work and he turned away, but not before winking at her.

Alyson glanced down at the tray she held and saw what he had been looking at. A small piece of paper had been placed in the tray, clearly reading out, _'856-555-5132 -Grant'_

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Later that night, in the privacy of the Queen Loft, Oliver booted up his computer to check his email. There were a few notifications from QC that he could forward to Felicity, countless advertisements and promotions, but only one thing caught his attention. It was a personal message, coming from an address Oliver didn't recognize.

**_To:_ ** _oqueen@queenconsolidated.com_   
**_From:_ ** _glafarge@starlingmail.com_

_Hello Mr. Queen._

_We have never met, but my name is Grant LaFarge. I am a journalism major at Starling_ _City_ _University and_ _I_ _have been assigned_ _to_ _do an article on_ _something_ _that interests us on a personal level._

_After much thought,_ _I_ _decided to do my_ _article_ _on the_ _siege_ _held over Starling by Slade Wilson a few years ago. I_ _know_ _that your family was rather tied_ _into_ _the entire ordeal and would like to_ _interview_ _you_ _about_ _the experience._

_I understand if you do not have the time or are uncomfortable talking about it. If you do decide you would like to be interviewed, please contact me so_ _we_ _can set up a meeting. If you would prefer to contact me via phone, my mobile is 856-555-5132._

_Thank you for your time_   
_-Grant LaFarge_

Oliver snapped his laptop shut in an attempt to get rid of the troubling message. Slade Wilson was not a person Oliver liked to talk or think about, yet he found the man crossing his mind everytime he donned the hood and took to the night. To explain the entire story, at least, an Oliver Queen CEO version of the entire story, to an outsider would be draining both mentally and emotionally.

Still, he had never talked about it to anyone not ensnared in Slade's tangled web. It could be helpful...

Oliver sighed. This was one for someone more emotionally equipped to handle.

He could call Felicity in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyson and Oliver both contact Grant LaFarge, but who is he really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a super late update. Sorry for the delay, hopefully chapter 9 will be up on Wednesday as planned but I have been on vacation for the past two weeks so I might be posting late again. Anyway...
> 
> Kudo, comment, bookmark, share!
> 
> Enjoy!

Oliver was having a bit of a dilemma regarding the request for an interview about Slade Wilson, with 'having a bit of a dilemma' translating roughly to flipping his shit. He had absolutely no idea what to respond with. Oliver could make tough choices, he's had to many times and he doubted it would stop anytime soon. Tough choices were just a part of his job, both in the office and in the night.

This, however, was beyond his reach of emotional capability. When Oliver made a choice, he analyzed every possible consequence he or anyone else would have to deal with. This situation seemed to have no consequences, only discomfort and exposure. Oliver was a relatively private person, but this Grant LaFarge was not asking to be let into his personal life, only to hear about a fairly public debacle.

The first thing Oliver had done after reading the email, besides pacing across the loft until there was a large scuff going from one end to the other, was call Felicity and ask her to come over immediately. She must have heard something in his voice or maybe she really did just know him that well, but she promised to be there in ten minutes without asking any questions. After the call disconnected, Oliver resumed his pacing, Thea's inevitable wrath be damned.

Felicity used her key to get into the loft, opening the door to the sight of Oliver's restless motion. If she hadn't already been worried, the fact that Oliver didn't immediately come over to her would have remedied that quite fast.

"Oliver? What's going on?"

His footsteps never faltering, Oliver waved a hand towards the computer. It had been re-opened with the email once. Oliver simply couldn't stop himself from rereading the message over and over and once more just for good measure. Felicity hustled over to the computer and pulled it into her lap, her eyes already scanning the words at Flash speed.

Oliver knew the second she had finished reading, because he felt her gaze heavy with worry against his back. Oliver stopped by the massive windows facing out. He ran a hand over his face and said gruffly, "I wasn't sure what to do. I'm still not sure. I thought you might have some insight."

Felicity pursed her lips and stood up, walking to where Oliver stood and rubbing a hand across her back. "I think that everything Slade did was horrible and the last thing I want is for you to ever have to relive the experience, even through retelling. Still, if you think it will help you to talk about it to someone not involved, you should."

Oliver chuckled quietly. "I said almost the exact same thing to myself. So why does it sound so much better coming from you?"

Felicity shrugged lightly. "You just need to do whatever you think is best. You always do." She leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips. Oliver leaned into her, thankful for some normality and comfort.

When they broke apart, their foreheads still pressed together, Oliver breathed quietly into the air between them, "Stay the night?"

Felicity nodded her head against his and pulled him away from the window by the arm. She led him gently to the stairs and up to his room, closing the laptop as she passed it.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver paced in his office, waiting around for a meeting with his accountant. He never thought there would be a day he was eager to sit in a stuffy conference room and listen to numbers, but that day had snuck up on him like a cat burglar... or Alyson. Oliver just needed something to get his mind off the troubling email from Grant. Felicity had helped him last night, but the email was still there in the morning, sitting in his inbox, the reply button glaring at him. 

In a moment of sheer exhaustion and exasperation, Oliver sat down at his desk and typed out a quick reply.

_Mr. LaFarge,_

_I would be willing to assist you with your article. I will be available at 2:00 this afternoon. You can meet me at the Queen Consolidated offices in downtown Starling. Tell the receptionist you have an appointment._

_Oliver Queen_

Before he could ask himself if he was sure, because he knew he wasn't, Oliver hit the send button.

He just wanted it to be over.

☆ S ☆ S ☆ 

Alyson woke up late that day, tired from an all-night patrol duty around Starling. She had been half-asleep when she got back to the hotel, collapsing on the bed in her clothes. At some point in the night, Giles had disabled her alarm and turned her ringer off. Alyson made a mental note to upgrade his software at some point. The AI deserved it.

Alyson pulled her phone over to her, seeing she had one missed call and a text from Felicity. The message explained that she didn't have to be in early but Oliver would want her for training and patrol duty again. Alyson replied back to confirm that she was not dead just sleeping and would be there. 

Alyson held her phone in her hand for a minute, staring at its dark screen blankly before her eyes darted over to the slip of paper on her nightstand. Alyson reached over and took it slowly, giving the cosmic fates plenty of time to intervene and tell her it was a bad idea. 

They didn't.

Alyson plugged the number into her phone slowly, still waiting for a sign. When she had pressed 'Save Contact' and the sky was still intact, she took it as a sign that everything was okay.

Alyson pressed the dial button and held the phone by her ear as it rang softly. A click came from the other end, followed by a breath.

 _"Hello?"_  Alyson recognized the voice from the coffee shop and almost,  _almost_  smiled.

"Hi? Grant, right?"

 _"Alyson? Coffee shop girl?"_  He sounded hopeful. Alyson took that as a good thing.

"Yeah, hi."

_"Hi."_

"Okay, time for new words," Alyson laughed nervously.

_"Maybe. So, since you called, I take it the coffee wasn't too bad."_

"Eh, it was okay," Alyson joked easily.

_"Only okay? Then I have to make you another cup. Prove my worth."_

"Are you asking to see me?"

 _"Yeah, I am,"_  he admitted easily, the joke gone from his voice but not the smile.

"Good. When?"

_"I have to do something for school at two, but how about you stop by the Joint and Grind at around three. My shift will just be ending so you can be my last customer of the day."_

"I feel so honored. I'll see you then."

_"See you."_

Alyson hung up, smiling stupidly at the ceiling before checking herself. It was just a date.

Except it wasn't. Alyson turned her own life upside down three years ago when she left home and became a criminal. She hadn't done anything remotely normal since then. Her closest friend was a computer, she spent her nights first committing crimes and now fighting them. Alyson didn't exactly date much. She just didn't have the time or the kind of lifestyle that allowed for it. Hell, she had barely stayed in one place for more than a month since leaving Harrow.

Now Alyson was finally getting her life back on track. She was planning to stay in Starling for a while, she was becoming an odd sort of friends with Team Arrow and she was finally,  _finally_  doing something worthwhile with her life. Starting to date again was a crucial step in the road to a (somewhat) stable life.

And who knows? Maybe this thing with Grant would turn out different than the rest.

☆ S ☆ S ☆ 

When Oliver's secretary buzzed over the intercom that he had a visitor at exactly 2:00, he felt much calmer then he had expected. Oliver could only hope it translated into his expression. He told her to let Grant in and waited behind his desk. The college student came in only a moment later.

Grant looked about Alyson's age. Brown hair. Hazel eyes. Lean build, some muscle. Oliver cataloged all of these things within the three seconds it took for Grant to come into the room and walk over to greet him. It became a habit to immediately assess how combat with another would go and exactly the tactics to win. With Grant, Oliver held an advantage on him with height and brute strength, but he had no idea the type of training he had. 

Oliver mentally shook himself. The kid was a reporter, not a criminal. At least, as far as Felicity knew.

"Mr. Queen," Grant greeted professionally, holding out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to speak with me. I really appreciate it."

Oliver shook the boy's hand. "It's perfectly fine. I'm happy to help," Oliver lied flawlessly. "Take a seat and we can begin."

Grant sat in one of the chairs across from Oliver's desk. He took a notepad and pen out of the messenger bag he had been carrying. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions about your experience with Slade Wilson during the siege held on Starling City in 2013. Would you mind it if I recorded the conversation?"

Oliver nodded for him to continue and Grant pulled out a small recording device.

"Could you start by recapping the events that took place?"

Oliver sighed. "The majority of what happened is that Slade Wilson kidnapped my younger sister Thea and murdered my mother. That's it and with as little fanfare as possible."

"Do you have any idea why he would want to target you and your family particularly?"

"I, along with everyone else, assumed that it was because of money. That, or power. The Queen name holds a lot of influence and reign over this city. To have power over us was a show of dominance and ability. He was basically telling the world that he could do whatever he wanted. No one could stop him." Well, Oliver did, but Grant didn't need to know that.

"Did you have any prior relations to or knowledge of Mr. Wilson prior to the kidnapping and siege."

Oliver shook his head. "No, I had never met him or even heard of him. I still don't know much besides his name and the fact that he is a monster of a man."

Grant placed his pad and pen on the desk and leaned forward to stop the recording device. "May I ask you a question, off the record?"

Oliver nodded, even as a rock settled in his stomach. Oliver could feel the storm on the horizon.

"For how long are you going to lie to me?"

Oliver didn't say anything as the storm hit in all its quietly chaotic glory.

"You see, Mr. Queen, I know most of what really happened. I know that Slade disappeared to a remote island on a rescue mission. I know it was the same island you disappeared to. I know that Slade hates you for something that happened on that island. And make no mistake, I know that you're the Arrow."

Oliver gritted his teeth. "Who are you?"

"His son," Grant replied with a calm anger simmering under the surface. "Grant Wilson."

"His son's name was Joe," Oliver said quietly.

"That was my brother, Joseph. The favorite. I'm not surprised he was the only one mentioned. I've always been a bit of a disappointment. Of course, that might have been the only reason he didn't kill me along with Joey and my mother." Oliver tried not to let the shock he felt show, but it must not have worked. "Oh, you didn't know? Yeah, you weren't Slade's first stop when he got back to Starling. He dropped by home first, just saying hi. He ended up killing everyone but me."

"I'm sorry-"

"You should be. He would have never done that if it wasn't for you. He wasn't a monster until you made him one. You gave him the Mirakuru. You gave him the motive. We were just the ones who had to pay."

"I paid for it too. I told you, he killed my mother."

"And I'm sorry for your loss. I know exactly how you feel. But that doesn't change the fact that someone else has to deal with the consequences."

Oliver stared at him blankly. "Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see what you would say. And, I wanted to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Grant lowered his voice darkly. "Slade isn't the only Wilson you can make into a monster. I'll be seeing you soon." Grant stood abruptly, gathering up his notepad and pen but leaving the recorder. "You can keep that. I have everything I need."

He left, and Oliver sat there with more emotional turmoil than he had began with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think of Grant and your predictions for what will happen next! 
> 
> P.S. Grant is not an original character. In the original comics, Slade had two sons, Grant and Joseph. His backstory and character do not belong to me. 
> 
> P.P.S. Grant will make an appearance in the sequel.
> 
> P.P.P.S. There is going to be a sequel. More information on that to come!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Alyson's date is interrupted by some disturbing news and problems being for Team Arrow

Alyson was greeted by the cool air of the Joint and Grind for the second time in as many days. She stepped into the back of the thankfully short line and was at the counter in no time at all. Grant was wiping something on his apron, looking down as he approached Alyson. 

"What can I get you?" he asked without looking up.

Alyson smiled. "Iced mocha latte please, and I believe you promised to make it better this time."

Grant's head snapped up and he smiled brightly at her. "Hey, Alyson. Sorry, I was just a bit distracted."

"It's fine," Alyson laughed. "Now about that coffee."

"It's coming right up. If you want to grab a table, I'll bring it over."

"Okay," Alyson smiled and moved away slowly as Grant walked over to the coffee machine. She saw an empty table with two chairs by the large windows and took a seat, pulling out her phone to check for messages while she waited. 

A new text from Felicity was in Alyson's inbox. _'Hey. Oliver's acting strange. Be prepared for an early meeting.'_

_'Sort of busy. How bad is it?'_

The reply came immediately. _'He's not talking yet. Might not be too bad, he had something going on today he wasn't too happy about.'_

_'I won't ask. Text me if I'm needed.'_

_'Thanks. See you later.'_

A cold mocha latte was set down in front of Alyson and Grant took a seat next to her, now sans apron. "Hey, I'm back. Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Alyson shrugged, carefully locking her phone and slipping it into her pocket. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you were frowning at your phone."

Alyson shook her head at herself. "It's nothing, really, just some stuff going on with a friend." Eager to change the subject, Alyson said, "What about you? What had you so distracted?"

"Just some stuff going on with a friend," he echoed lightly. "So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything," Gryphon smiled. "Where are you from?"

"Harrow City," Alyson answered honestly, before remembering that she needed to edit some of her answers. "I moved here for work about a month ago."

"What do you do?"

"I intern for a real estate company," she lied. It was sort of true, right? "What about you? Where are you from?"

"I was born in Australia, but we moved to Starling when I was a baby. I'd be happy to show you some of the hidden treasures here sometime. If you'd like, that is."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Alyson smiled brightly at him. The buzzing of her phone stopped Alyson from asking another question. She pulled it out and frowned when the screen displayed an incoming call from Oliver. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. It's work."

Grant nodded understandingly and Alyson slid off her chair, not answering the call until she was safely in the women's bathroom and had checked that she was alone. "Hey Oliver. What's going on?"

_"I'm calling an emergency meeting. Get to the Foundry as quickly as you can."_

"Yeah, I'll leave now. Is everything okay?"

_"No one's hurt, if that's what you're asking, but we might have a new threat to look out for."_

"Who?"

_"His name is Grant Wilson, but he might be going by Grant LaFarge."_

"Grant?" Alyson echoed in shock.

_"Do you know of him?"_

"Well, yeah. I'm sort of on a date with him right now."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

After saying a quick and wary good-bye to Grant, who seemed understanding enough (but could just be smug), Alyson raced to the Foundry as quickly as she could. She even had Giles hijack a cab to get her there faster. She could pay for the inconvenience.

Alyson refused to let herself jump to any conclusions about Grant. It was very well possible some guy had just stolen his identity. It was also possible that he had no idea who she was or that she was working with Oliver and actually just wanted to go out with her. Highly unlikely, but possible.

Oliver, Felicity, Digg, Thea and Laurel were already gathered around the floor when Alyson arrived. They weren't talking, but the sound waves probably wouldn't even travel through the tension in the room. They didn't even look up when Alyson entered until she joined the loose circle.

"So," Alyson started awkwardly, "who exactly did I just have coffee with?"

Oliver glared at her. "Slade Wilson's son," he snapped.

"Slade Wilson," Felicity stammered, "As in, the Slade Wilson that tried to kill all of us?"

Oliver nodded tersely. "He seems to be here for revenge. I have no idea what that entails." He rounded on Alyson, still glaring. "So, how was your date?"

Alyson gaped at him. "I'm sorry, are you actually mad at _me_? How the hell is this my fault?"

"You're not the least bit upset that you just went out with a possible public enemy?" he growled.

"I didn't exactly know about it at the time!" Alyson exclaimed.

"That's another thing. When did you decide it was a good idea to go out with someone without having a background check done?"

"I don't want every aspect of my life ruled by what we do here."

"Alyson-"

Felicity cut in, "Can we get back on topic? You said Grant was here for revenge?"

Oliver took a deep breath. "He blames me for the death of his mother and brother. Slade killed them under the influence of the Mirakuru. He said that someone else had to deal with the consequences."

"What do you think he's going to do?" Laurel asked quietly.

"I have no idea. He told me that Slade wasn't the only Wilson I could turn into a monster."

"That doesn't exactly scream good intentions," Diggle grumbled. "What do we do now?"

"We have to wait," Oliver sighed. "I don't want to attack him first. We track his movements, watch from afar, and try to stop him before he hurts any innocents."

"How do we do that?" Felicity asked.

Every head turned slowly to look at Alyson, except for her, who glanced across each expectant face quickly. "No," she stated bluntly. "I'm not going to spy on him by dating him."

"Alyson, you are the only one he knows besides me. You're the only one who really has a chance of getting close enough to keep an eye on him."

"Forget it, Oliver. I told you, that part of my life and this part can not mix."

"Do you want people to die?" he demanded.

"Of course not, but there's other ways to do it."

"How?"

"Felicity can easily track him, especially with facial recognition using the security cameras in your office and the Joint and Grind. Giles and I will help. We know where he works and where he goes to school. We don't need to play the girlfriend game."

"It wouldn't hurt," Oliver snapped.

"It would hurt me," Alyson shot back. He flinched back at that. "How am I supposed to go and fake date him when I know that he could be using me the exact same way I'm using him? When I know about his past and why he's here? How am I supposed to listen to every lie he tells and not react? I will do as much as I can to help protect Starling and ourselves against him. I _can't_ do that. The only time I'm ever going to see Grant Wilson again is going to be as Shadow Thief."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Thea sat alone on the steps leading up to the top floor of Verdant. She shook slightly, and not just from the cold air, her head resting against her arms and her knees drawn up to her chest. Thea hated feeling weak and she hated showing it even more, but this was one time she simply could not keep it in.

Soft footsteps approached her but Thea didn't look up. Only two people would come to talk to her right now and one of them wore heels. Oliver lowered himself onto the steps next to her but didn't say anything right away. He just sat and stared out at the far wall of the club.

Thea lifted her head, not a single tear tracking onto her face, not yet. Right now she was too shocked to cry. She didn't look at him and he didn't look at her. "I thought it would be over once you stopped him, and then again when we saw him on the island. But it's not over. Somehow he found a way to haunt us even from behind bars."

Oliver sighed. "It's not him that's haunting us this time. It's someone who he hurt, but sees us as the guilty. That's almost more dangerous. Just almost though. Grant isn't mentally unstable, he can be reasoned with."

"You don't know that for sure. He could be just as damaged as his father."

"We still have to try to fix this all."

Thea hesitated and finally looked over at her brother. "Do you think he's going to hurt us Ollie?"

Oliver wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "We're not going to let him."

They sat in silence for a moment before sharp footsteps echoed on the ground and Felicity rounded the corner with a worried look on her face. "Guys, sorry to interrupt but there's something you should see."

The hastily followed her back downstairs where Diggle was pacing, Laurel was standing stoically and Alyson was perched on one of the tables staring blankly at her phone. Felicity lead them over to the computer where live feed of the inside of a police car was playing on the screen.

"A call just came into the SCPD about a body found outside the building Slade was using before and during the siege. I got into the feed from the police body cams, but they haven't arrived at the scene yet."

Just as she said that, the car halted and the driver got out of the seat. He was the one who they were seeing the scene through and Thea almost felt like she was there, if not for the grainy view. The officer's partner moved around the building to check for a perpetrator or more victims, but their officer moved up to the victim, giving all of Team Arrow a perfect view of the body.

The victim had been killed by an arrow through the eye.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyson and Oliver go head-to-head with Grant for the first time. Meanwhile, Dr. Kistler's patient finishes his final treatment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudo, comment, bookmark, share!
> 
> Enjoy!

Alyson stared down at her dark phone, silently willing it to show her what to do. Technology has never let her down. People have. Her dad and every doctor who said they could fix him, the legal system a few times, and now Grant, the first person Alyson had really tried to let into her crazy, messed up world. She heard Thea's quiet gasp and could practically feel Oliver tense when the two of them saw what was shown through the police camera. Alyson didn't have to look. She knew Grant was the killer.

Oliver turned to Alyson slowly but did not speak. She had to be the first to do that. "Now what?"

"He struck first. Now we do what we do with any other threat. We eliminate it."

Alyson didn't hurt or feel the disappointment she had expected. She just felt reluctantly numb. "How do you want to do that?"

"We have to find him before anything. He shouldn't be too hard to trace," Felicity said, sitting down at her computer to look through street camera footage.

"Especially not when we can get his exact location," Alyson announced. "How much time do you need during a phone call to pinpoint his cell?"

Felicity looked at her oddly. "Not long."

"Tell me when." Alyson unlocked her phone but ceased all movement when Oliver laid a hand over the screen.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Just fifteen minutes ago you wanted to never see him unless you're going as Shadow Thief."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not Skype-ing him." She wrenched her hand away. "You wanted me to do this, remember?"

Oliver assented without another word and Alyson dialed Grant's number, nodding to Felicity as it began to ring. After only three sharp trills, he picked up.

 _"Hello?"_  Alyson resolutely did not notice how normal he sounded. He should not have sounded normal, he should have sounded like he just killed someone.

"Hey, Grant," Alyson said with a fake cheer. "Sorry I had to run off so quickly earlier. One of the interns sent an important document to the wrong person and now we're scrambling to fix everything before the end of the night."

_"It's fine, Alyson. Don't worry about it. We can just reschedule."_

Alyson faked a laugh. "Yeah, we will." Felicity nodded that she was done tracking him and Alyson mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "I have to go. I'll see you soon." She hung up quickly.

She would definitely be seeing him very, very soon.

"Where is he?" Oliver demanded.

"An apartment on West Mason Street. Floor 3, room 29," Felicity rattled off.

The team snapped into movement. Oliver swept across the room to his suit in its case. Diggle sharply pulled open the gun drawer. Thea and Laurel moved to where their suits were kept in separate changing rooms. Only Alyson stayed still, once again staring at her darkened screen. It buzzed quietly and a picture of Ben and Jerry's ice cream showed up. Alyson, getting the message loud and clear, laughed lightly and thanked Giles. Later she could sulk. Now, she needed to kick some lying, murdering ass.

☆ S ☆ S ☆  

Alyson felt sort of bad for the cluster of people huddled in their pajamas (or underwear) in the street, but hey, you can't go all 'hero' on someone in a crowded building. Sometimes, fire emergencies needed to be faked. It's all part of the system.

Alyson stood in her suit on the roof of the building across the street with Oliver on the building behind. Thea and Laurel each stood in the shadows on either side and Diggle was blended into the crowd of onlookers. When Grant came out, there was no place he could go unseen.

Except, Grant didn't come out of the building. They waited tensely for five minutes, way longer than anyone who thought there was a fire in the building should take. It was also as long as it took for the landlord to sort out that it was a false alarm. Just as they were thinking they would have  _actually_  start a fire, a dark figure appeared on the roof of the apartment. It was Grant, in a leather jacket with a gun in his hands. He looked directly at Oliver, who stood stoically in the ledge of the building. Neither of them looked when Alyson gestured to the others that he was on the roof, only staring at each other.

Grant beckoned with his gun for Oliver to confront him, and the hero answered. It only took one leap for Oliver to clear the distance and then fighting exploded on the roof. Alyson saw Thea and Laurel making their way up the side of the building as Diggle ran into it. She herself took long strides backwards, before running full speed at the edge and leaping across. She twisted into a flip halfway through and landed in a roll until she was right behind Grant.

Gymnastic classes paid off.

Grant spun and pointed his gun at her, but Oliver kicked him in the back of the knee in the same instant Alyson wrestled his gun away. Grant alternated between swinging his fists at her and Oliver, but all three of them were dodging the others' blows. It made for a very confusing battle. Finally, Grant managed to kick Oliver in the chest as he lunged at Alyson, pinning her to the ground.

"I didn't expect a new ally," he growled as he tried to punch her in the face.

Alyson moved her head and rolled them around. "Not how I expected to end my night either." Normally people waited until the third date to do this sort of thing.

Grant sent Alyson flipping over his head a second later, but Oliver was there to kick him back down after he stood. Alyson pushed off the ground and jumped on Grant's back as Oliver punched him, swiping her claws across his face. Grant howled shortly at the cuts and threw her off. Thea and Laurel climbed up onto the building at the same time that Diggle burst through the door. Alyson could see it on Grant's face when he realized they outnumbered him too greatly to be defeated. 

"Don't think I won't be back," Grant warned Oliver, before taking off towards the ledge of the building. He leaped out of sight and Alyson ran with the rest to where he had disappeared from. He had vanished without a trace.

They all cursed, some more violently than others. Alyson heard Oliver muttering something to Felicity over the comms, but she was too wrapped up in her head to pay attention.

Grants words would undoubtedly ring true. They had not seen the last of him.

☆ S ☆ S ☆  

The room was filled with apprehension. Dr. Kistler stood behind the control table, waiting impatiently for the patient to be hooked up. After everything was in place and both needles were placed in their proper positions outside his neck, the doctor approached.

He leaned over to view the patient's nearly-healed face. "Are you ready?"

The patient couldn't move his head while he was strapped in, so he quietly but firmly responded, "Very."

Dr. Kistler nodded and moved back to his stance at the control table and looked stoically at the employee behind it. He nodded once and the employee pressed one large button on the table. The room was still filled with apprehension, but also screams after that. The patient jerked and tossed on the table, but was held in place by the restraints. Dr. Kistler looked on with blank curiosity, but inside he was nervous with hope. It this worked, well... everything would change.

The injection finished and the screaming calmed down. Dr. Kistler approached the now calm victim and pulled out a pen light to check his eyes.

"Do you remember where you are?"

"It's- it's the RRR Base," the patient answered slowly.

"Do you remember why you are here?"

"To get better," he stated, more sure now. "To recover from my injuries.

"Do you remember who you are?"

"I am Thomas Merlyn."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team recovers after their failed encounter with Grant and the not-dead Tommy Merlyn returns to Starling City.

"Mister Merlyn? Would you like any help packing up?"

Tommy shook his head at her from where he stood folding clothes to go home. "Thank you Marissa, but I have spent a bit too long being unable to fold my own clothes."

The nurse nodded. "I understand. Are you excited to return home?"

Tommy smiled devishly. "More than you could imagine. I have quite a bit of unfinished business back in Starling."

"I would think so. You've been gone a long time. Will you visit Mister Queen?"

Tommy's smile morphed into a dark smirk. "He'll be the first on my list."

A knock on the door stopped Marissa from asking any more questions. Dr. Kistler strode in briskly, a stack of files in his hands. Marissa's friendly and open demeanor vanished, replaced with meek submission. "Leave us Marissa," the doctor instructed.

The small nurse scurried to the door, sending Tommy one last pleasant smile before rushing out.

"Doctor," Tommy greeted. "I was hoping I would get a chance to speak to you before I left."

"Yes, well, we still have a few things to discuss before you return to your life." Kistler held out one of the files, which was filled with legal documents. "The organization needs your consent of payment and a second agreement of confidentiality. Just sign where it says."

Tommy signed on the lines, relishing in in the feeling of strength his hand once again possessed. It had been a long, hard road to get him back to where he was both physically and mentally before the earthquake his father made. It was good to be back.

Dr. Kistler continued, "I also need you to sign this agreement of payment for my grant. And remember, no one knows about this."

Tommy chuckled as he signed through the next file of documents. "Of course, although I'm sure word of your discoveries will reach the public soon enough."

"It's inevitable, but it will happen on my time."

"Best of luck to you," Tommy drawled. If the doctor had proven anything so far, it was hat he was perfectly capable of destroying all of society. Tommy could hardly wait to see all of his ambitions come to fruition. "I hope that that last file is what I asked for."

Kistler held out the file for Tommy to take. "All of Oliver Queen's actions since your death, his known associates, known enemies, everything you need to know in order to complete your third step."

Tommy closed his eyes and sighed in anticipation and satisfaction. He could hardly wait.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

The sound of skin hitting plastic ricocheted around the Foundry basement, as did the head of Oliver's recently defeated sparring partner. Luckily, he was fake. Thank god for small miracles.

Felicity looked calmly between the decapitated dummy head and Oliver, who was panting and seething on the mats, glaring as the dummy as if it was it's _own_ fault the head had flown off. She contemplated offering Oliver the snickers bar in her purse, but decided Oliver wasn't far gone enough to deploy the big guns.

"Oliver," she started calmly. "Why don't you take a break?"

"Why don't you not try to parent me?" he snapped back.

Felicity gave him her 'Your Balls Are Mine In Three Seconds' look. "Why don't you take that back and start talking to the only person having sex with you right now with a bit more respect?"

"Why don't you stop treating Starling's most dangerous vigilante like an infant?"

"Why don't you both stop talking in questions instead of statements and eat a hamburger?" Alyson beamed at them from the stairs, holding up two bags of food from Big Belly Burger. They hadn't even heard her come in, but that could be because of their fighting or because she was a silent ninja master of silence.

Felicity smiled at the younger girl and nodded her agreement to the truce. Oliver took a bit longer, but eventually gave a defeated shrug of his shoulders. The three of them met up in the center of the room to eat, Oliver brushing his hand over Felicity's back in a gesture of apology, which she gladly accepted.

"Where is everyone else?" Alyson asked around a mouthful of food.

"Having lives," Felicity mused. They looked among each other and shuddered in unison. "They'll all stop by at some point tonight. Thea and Laurel are on patrol duty."

"I thought this was my night?" Alyson asked.

"I don't think so, Alyson," Oliver lied convincingly. The truth was, everyone could see that Alyson hadn't been sleeping right since their confrontation with Grant a week ago. She felt guilty about not seeing it sooner and was beating herself up for not being a better judge of character. The team had taken to subtly postponing her shifts until she caught up on sleep and got back to her rightful mindset, but Alyson wasn't stupid. She would catch on eventually.

For now though, she just shrugged and let it go. "Anything new on the radar?"

Felicity shook her head. "Nothing yet. It's been quiet since Grant, save for the occasional robbery or mugging, but that's easily stopped in a night."

Alyson laughed suddenly. "It's weird, you know? Unless we're hunting down a psychotic villain, everything else is a 'quiet night'."

Oliver chuckled. "That's the life."

"Beating up bad guys, getting our own asses kicked every now and then and eating hamburgers at the end of the day. We're living the dream."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

That night was a quiet night too, just like all of the others they'd had recently. Oliver wasn't _technically_  supposed to be on patrol, but he got restless. Anyway, what trouble was another hand to help out?

Apparently, Oliver wasn't the only one having these thoughts. One minute he was alone and the next second, Alyson was standing right next to him without making a sound. Oliver jerked backwards when he noticed her presence, one hand instinctively reaching around to his quiver. Alyson, hood down, raised her eyebrow at him and didn't even flinch. 

"I could have shot you," Oliver grumbled, returning to her side.

"I would have dodged," Alyson shrugged confidently.

"You should be at home, resting," Oliver said bluntly.

"Couldn't sleep. And by the way, I would hardly call the hotel I've been pouring money into my home." Oliver glanced over at her, but she wasn't done. "I know what you guys have been doing, keeping me off night shift. I figured it out pretty fast. You might want to be more subtle the next time you try to dupe a genius."

"Again, you need your rest," Oliver argued quietly.

"Did it ever occur to you that this is more therapeutic for me than sleep. I _can't_  sleep, Oliver. Surely you know what that's like. Being out here helps me clear my mind, focus on something other than just my screw ups." She paused and pursed her lips. "It's not just Grant either. I mean, part of it is, but there's also a load of other shit that last week stirred back up. My dad and my relationship with him, his illness, my past three years..." She cut off again. "I never thought of myself as a criminal. I had known I wasn't exactly a saint, but it never occurred to me that I was a demon. I've stolen from people, millions of dollars. I've... God Oliver, I've killed people."

Oliver glanced sideways at her. He knew there were things that came with the life, but Alyson had never talked about having killed someone before. He got a feeling from her vacant and haunted look across the city that she wasn't going to say any more that night. Oliver opened his mouth, but he wasn't the person who spoke next.

"Well, now isn't that sweet," drawled a modified voice from behind them. Oliver and Alyson both swiveled  around, his bow drawn and her claws out. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not here to interrupt your touching moment of friendship."

"Who are you?" Oliver demanded gruffly. The man was dressed in a full black suit with a powerful bow. His suit looked similar to the one Malcolm Merlyn used to wear as the Dark Archer, but sleeker and more well fitted, almost like a cross between Malcolm and the Arrow. His hood was the exact same as Oliver's, only black.

The smug curl of his lips could hardly be seen out of the shadows from the hood and night, but it was there. "You don't recognize me Ollie?" The man ripped back his hood angrily, revealing a mess of scars and burns that had replaced his face, but the piercing blue eyes were still the exact same, and Oliver had no doubt that the boyish smile would be too.

"Tommy?" Oliver gasped, feeling as if his legs were about to collapse out from under him. It was... It was impossible. Tommy had died, Oliver had _been there_ , he had seen it with his own eyes...

...but he was seeing this too. This mutilated, angry man in front of him was changed, but he was undoubtedly and undeniably Thomas Merlyn, alive and maybe not so well.

"In the flesh," Tommy shot back. "Did you miss me?"

Oliver found himself lowering his bow, even though Alyson kept her defenses raised, not having known Tommy before... well, before he died.

"But... how? You died," Oliver whispered.

"That I did, and let me tell you, dying is not as much fun as it sounds. Thankfully, will a little help from my friends over at RRR, I'm back and better than ever."

Alyson tensed next to Oliver. "You came from RRR?"

Tommy turned his gaze away from Oliver and over to her for the first time. "Alyson Night, I presume? I've heard a lot about you. Dr. Kistler, not your biggest fan."

"The feeling is mutual. I see you've finished with the program."

"What program?" Oliver demanded, still shocked at seeing his best friend right in front of him.

"Project RRR," Alyson explained. "It stands for their three steps. Resurrection..."

"Restoration," Tommy continued.

"And Revenge."

Tommy smirked at them, drawing his bow and aiming it at Oliver's head. "I'm still working on that last one.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver goes against the most unexpected of adversaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how late this is! I uploaded on Wattpad a few weeks ago but completely forgot to add it here! Another chapter (or two) should be coming out this week. My schedule may get even more messed up than usual from now on since I just went back to school. Anyway...
> 
> Kudo, comment, bookmark, share!
> 
> Enjoy!

As Oliver Queen stood with the tip of Tommy Merlyn's arrow inches from his face, he was only completely sure of three things.

One: Tommy _had_ died but had been brought back to life by some weird organization Alyson seemed to know all about.

Two: Tommy had somehow become a master of archery and sneaking and was now following in his father's footsteps.

Three: Tommy seemed to have no problem killing Oliver.

The man in question smirked from behind his bow. "Come on, Oliver. Nothing? No response? No bow standoff?"

Oliver still hadn't raised his bow, staring blankly at his best friend in a loss for words. He could feel Alyson shifting anxiously behind him, wanting to do something but knowing it wasn't her place to interfere just yet.

Something in Oliver's brain clicked and he was whipped out of shock and back into reality. "Tommy, listen to me, we can talk about this. We don't have to fight." _'Please_ _don't_ _make me fight you.'_

An angry storm brewed in Tommy's blue-sky eyes. "There's nothing to talk about. You betrayed me. You slept with Laurel not 12 hours after telling me to win her back. You lied to me for months about who you were. You _let me die!_ "

Oliver couldn't say anything, wouldn't say anything because how could you argue the truth? Everything Tommy had said was completely true. He had betrayed him. He had lied to him. He head failed him and because of that... because of that Tommy had died. It was a blanket of guilt Oliver had wrestled with every day since the earthquake. The only reason he had been able to keep going was because everyone had convinced him that Tommy wouldn't blame him. Clearly, they were wrong.

"Tommy," Alyson said firmly when Oliver couldn't, "please calm down."

He turned his bow on Alyson, growling, "Stay out of it! This isn't your problem."

"Tommy-" she started again, but she didn't have a chance to finish.

Tommy dropped his bow arm momentarily and swung at her face. Alyson easily intercepted the blow and twisted the man and his arm around until she had him in an arm lock with his back pressed to her chest. She seemed about to do something more when Oliver finally raised his bow again... trained on her.

"Let him go, Alyson."

The blonde stared at him for a long moment, but eventually released Tommy and darted back to Oliver's side before he could retaliate.

Tommy smirked. "Come on, Ollie. Killing you isn't going to be any fun if you don't fight back."

Oliver spoke sadly and slowly. "I'm not going to fight you Tommy."

"That's your mistake."

Quick as a lightning bolt, Tommy loosed his arrow. Oliver moved out of its path a split second before it flew past his head and into the night. Three more arrows flew in tandem and Oliver was able to dodge them all, but he never raised his own bow or even his fists.

A few arrows flew at Alyson and she moved around each one as if she were fluid, but each time she tried to get within arms reach of Tommy, a warning Arrow from Oliver whizzed by within an inch of her body, sending a clear message.

_No offense._

After a few minutes of this same dance, Tommy aiming for the kill and them avoiding each one without actually _doing anything._ Alyson felt frustration building steadily within her with every attempt of hers that was cut off by her own teammate. She could also feel exhaustion creeping in from the constant dodging and she saw Oliver's movements become more and more sluggish with each arrow until he was escaping by mere centimeters.

As Oliver moved out of the way of another arrow, Alyson flicked one of her claws into Tommy's back. He howled shortly and fell to the ground.

"Alyson!" Oliver barked angrily as she moved over to him.

"You can yell at me later, but we have to go now. He'll only be down for a few seconds."

Oliver reluctantly agreed, shooting a grappling arrow at another building as the both ran to the edge and jumped. Just as her feet left the ground, Alyson felt a shooting pain in her calf as one of Tommy's arrows protruded out of the front of her leg. Her calculated path down to a window in the building across from them was interrupted by the pain, causing Alyson to fall out of control.

One of Oliver's arms wrapped around her waist and he spun them in the air so that he crashed into the window first and she landed on top of him.

Oliver groaned as the glass shards dug into his back, but quickly decided to ignore his discomfort in favor of checking Alyson's wound. The arrow had ripped straight through her body and blood was pouring out of the gaping wounds. Alyson winced as she rolled off him, leaving a trail of blood on the floor and Oliver's suit. She bit her lip against the pain and didn't even try to stand.

 _"Mrs. Night,_ _I_ _am detecting high levels of pain in your left leg,"_ Giles stated into her ear, sounding about as worried as an AI could.

"Yeah, I got skewered," Alyson gasped out.

_"Do you require a medic?"_

"Someone can patch it up at the Foundry. It would be kind of hard to explain at a hospital."

_"And how exactly do you plan on getting back to Verdant?"_

Alyson felt like she was a preschooler being interrogated by a teacher. She also felt like Giles already had a plan in motion. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

_"I do believe_ _that's_ _what you have me for."_

Suddenly the room was bathed in light and the sound of helicopter propellers chopped at the air above. Oliver tensed, but Alyson only sighed. "Giles, we've talked about this. You can not commandeer police helicopters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but important chapter. Hope you liked it!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Alyson tell the team about their confrontation with Tommy and Oliver goes with Thea and Laurel to talk to him.

Alyson winced as Diggle finished off the final stich on her leg. The arrow Tommy had hit her with was a clean cut straight through, ending in quite a bit of blood and pain but not any major damage. She would have to stay off her leg for the next couple days, but they had more pressing matters.

Diggle wrapped a bandage around Alyson's leg, turning to Oliver after tying it off. "So are you ever going to tell us how this happened?"

Alyson and Oliver glanced at each other, but she wasn't going to say anything. She hadn't even been in Starling with Tommy, she never knew the man he was before... well, just before. They hadn't explained anything to the rest of the team, who were gathered around the Foundry waiting for answers. Alyson wouldn't give them. This was Oliver's story.

The man in question swallowed hard, staring at the far wall with eyes of stone. "We had a run in with a new archer in town. He wasn't very friendly."

Naturally, Felicity moved to her computer. "Did you get a name?"

"Yes. Thomas Merlyn."

Felicity's hands froze over her keyboard.

"Oliver," Laurel said in a pained voice from behind him, "Tommy died." Her voice cracked on every word, but Oliver just turned his unwavering stare on her broken one.

"Yes, he did. But he's not dead anymore."

Thea gasped quietly. "Is that even possible?"

"We brought you back," Oliver pointed out.

"You mean they used the Lazarus Pit?" Thea asked, dumbfounded. This was all getting too weird."

"Not _the_ Lazarus Pit," Alyson explained, finally speaking up. This was one topic she knew more than most about. "Tommy said that he was part of project RRR. It's an old organization, dating back to the 1800s, though it was certainly different then. The project's mission is to resurrect and restore the dead who they see as having potential to benefit them.

"The patients, as they're called, undergo a special treatment after being brought back until they are even better than they were in their prime. After that, they are released with all of the resources needed to exact revenge on those who wronged them. They are free to live their own lives after that, but are able to be called in for special missions by the project if needed."

"How do you know so much about this?" Diggle asked once everyone had finished processing the information.

"My ancestors were among the founders, though I dont know much else about them. They were the black sheep of the family, the darker Nights. My dad told me a bit about the project and other things they have done when I was younger, and I fid some follow up research as I grew up. No one liked talking about them, though."

"You think that's how Tommy was brought back?" Laurel questioned quietly.

"He said so himself. It makes sense too," Alyson shrugged.

"It's me. I'm the person who wronged him. I'm the one he has come to get revenge on," Oliver announced bluntly.

Felicity sighed. "Oliver, don't. This is not your fault. Whatever happened to him in that facility twisted his mind. The old Tommy, the real one, could never hate you."

"It's true," Alyson assured him. "They use special drugs to make the patients more vengeful. It increases their rage."

Felicity's head snapped up to meet Alyson's eyes. "Like Armageddon."

"Yeah, like that, only stronger and more science-y."

Felicity rolled over to her computer again, pulling up an old screen. "Alyson, have you ever heard of the Eleven Elements of Niym?"

Alyson tensed and hopped over to the techie. "Yeah, I have. Kistler was always ranting on about them."

"Who's Kistler?" Diggle inturrupted.

"Reimund Kistler, one of the head doctors at RRR. He was a personal physician of my father for years. He was the lead doctor when my father fell ill. After a while though, he started saying some crazy stuff, world domination and the like. The Elements were a recurring theme."

"Are they used for RRR?"

"Two of them are. There's Rage, which is also used for Armageddon, and Growth, which is what they use to restore the minds and bodies of their patients. The other nine have never been found."

"Aren't we getting a bit off topic?" Laurel snapped. "What are we going to do about Tommy. We have to help him."

"I agree," Oliver said quickly. "I'll talk to him. He'll see reason."

"Oliver-" Alyson started.

"I'll come," Thea interjected, followed quickly by Laurel.

"Felicity, look for any new reservations at hotels. We'll go and check out the old Merlyn Manor while you do that."

"Stop!" Every head in the room to Alyson, who was collecting herself after her outburst. "Oliver, I get that you want to help Tommy. Just don't expect it to do any good."

"What exactly does that mean?" The hero growled.

"People change after going through the project. They become irrational with anger. Talking to them doesn't do anything. All they can think about is revenge."

"I have to try."

"And you should. Just don't expect to succeed."

Oliver glared at her before striding out of the room angrily. Thea and Laurel followed close on his heels, not bothering to suit up. Digg, Felicity and Alyson stared after them even after the door had shut.

"What do we do if talking really doesn't work?" Felicity asked.

Alyson sighed wearily. "Let's burn that bridge when we get on it."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

The Merlyn Manor was quiet and dark, the same way that it had been since the earthquake, when Malcolm left and Tommy... well, you know. Oliver entered quietly, Thea and Laurel directly behind him. None if them had brought weapons. This was a peaceful talk, not a battle.

They didn't say anything to each other, just exchanged glances as way of communication. The three of them wandered the empty halls they had spent so much time in. Eventually, the got to the upstairs hallway. One door was shut tightly with light leaking out from the crack at the bottom. It was Tommy's childhood bedroom.

Oliver glanced back at his companions, jerking his head towards the door. They approached slowly, and Oliver nudged his way into the room. Tommy was sitting with his back to them, polishing an arrowhead at his desk. The brunet didn't look at them, but did lift his head.

"Oliver."

"Tommy."

He turned around to say something more but paused, surprise coloring his face before being quickly masked by amusement. "Laurel, Thea. It's nice to see you two again."

Oliver could feel their urge to run and hug him, but they managed to hold themselves back.

"Tommy," Laurel whispered quietly. "What is going on?"

"They didn't fill you in? I'm back, Laurel, and better than ever."

"Why did you try to kill Oliver?" Thea demanded through her shocked pain. Alive or not, Tommy had changed. That much was clear from the arrows on his bed, from the open file on his desk, from the cold and calculating look in his eyes that Malcolm had always had.

"Oh, that? Don't get upset, it wasn't anything personal... Well, actually, it was, but it's just a part of the process. I die, I come back, I get revenge, Oliver dies. Circle of life. Haven't you ever seen The Lion King?" Tommy joked.

"Look, Tommy we can talk about this," Oliver said gruffly. At least now they knew Tommy's intentions.

The joking gleam in Tommy's eyes was gone in an instant, replaced by vengeful anger. "There's nothing to talk about! It was your fault, all of it! You were the reason I died, you and you," he screamed, waving an accusing finger at Oliver and Laurel.

"Tommy, we never wanted you to get hurt, much less die. You have to believe us," Oliver pleaded.

"If you didn't want to hurt me, why did you sleep together after specifically telling me to fight for Laurel back?! You never cared about anyone but yourself, both of you. You cost me my life! If you had been just a little bit faster, just a little bit stronger, you could have saved me! But you didn't!"

"I know!" Oliver roared. "Don't you think I know that? I have wrestled with the guilt of your death every single day since the earthquake."

"Bullshit!" Tommy growled back. "You were mopey for a little while, but you let yourself off the hook. You convinced yourself that I wouldn't blame you, that I forgave you. Guess what Ollie? I _don't_!"

Oliver crumpled inside, shriveled up and curled himself into a ball to block out the intense pain that came. But he couldn't hide deep down inside himself, because deep down inside himself he knew that all along. He had always been the monster Tommy said he was.

Tommy visibly collected himself, face settling into a cool stone. "Now get out. I don't want to kill you just yet. It has to be better than this."

None of them moved, they just couldn't. They were frozen in their spots, shocked to the core. Tommy picked up his bow and notched an arrow, slowly moving closer until the tip was at Oliver's chest. He took another step, forcing Oliver, Thea and Laurel to take one back, and then again and again until they were in the hallway. Without another word, he retreated into his room again and slammed the door. The three heroes stood there long after the sound had stopped ricocheting through empty halls.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and his new accomplice make their fist move against Oliver.

Tommy stood on the edge of the former Merlyn Global building and the precipice of a new world. The hood was pulled up high over his icy blue eyes as he scanned over the city. Soon, it would be a different place, a place rid of Oliver Queen. But he still had some matters to attend to.

"I assume you're Merlyn."

Tommy turned to face his new company. "I am. You're the one they told me about? The madman's son?"

Grant smirked darkly. "I think that would be both of us."

Tommy chuckled. "I guess so. I assume you want to know why I asked you here. I need your help."

"With what?" All at once the playful edge to Grant's tone slipped away and it was down to business.

"The annihilation of Oliver Queen."

A sadistic smile broke over Grant's face. "That does sound like something I could be interested in. What's your plan?"

"Kill him," Tommy answered simply.

Grant gaped slightly at the older man. "That's all? No course of action?"

"Taking it slow didn't really work out well for the last person who tried," Tommy pointed out, anticipating a flinch or glare from the other.

He was sorely disappointed when Grant only chuckled. "Fair point. So why do you need me for such a simple task?"

"Because Oliver isn't alone like he was before I died. He has a full team now. I can easily take care of Oliver and a few of the others, but they seem to be multiplying like cockroaches," Tommy gritted out.

Grant thought back to the girl in black on the roof. "Yeah, they do seem to always be there."

"That's what I need you for. Oliver can't beat me alone and I can't beat him alone." Loath as Tommy was to admit it, he really did need someone's help, and Grant already had training and a vendetta.

"What's in it for me?"

"Accomplishing what you failed to accomplish before: revenge." Grant nodded, staring across town to where the new QC offices were. Tommy gave him a minute, before offering up his right hand. "What do you say?"

Grant held his challenging gaze, smirking as he shook the other's hand. "Oliver won't know what hit him."

☆ S ☆ S ☆

Oliver was knocked on to the mat before he even knew he had been hit. Diggle pulled his arm back again, but lowered it instead of throwing another punch. Oliver growled slightly and hit the mat hard with his right hand. The stinging in his cheek hurt like an angry Helena, but he knew he deserved it. Oliver's mind had been far, far away from the training mat with Digg, but he couldn't help it. Since their "talk" three nights ago, he had been fully preoccupied with thoughts of how to save his oldest friend, and possibly his own life.

Digg held out his hand and Oliver used it to pull himself back up, immediately raising his fists to go another round. Digg only shook his head. "Not tonight, man. We'll try again after you've pulled your head out of your ass," he joked lightly.

Oliver sighed but accepted the towel his former bodyguard offered. It was times like these that he remembered that even though Tommy was his oldest friend, in the years since the earthquake, John Diggle had become his best friend.

The two of them walked over to where Felicity was talking to Alyson, who sat on top of the medic bay with her feet swinging off the side. Oliver bent down to kiss Felicity's head, but she pushed him away with a wrinkled nose and a command to take a shower. Alyson laughed lightly and Oliver felt Digg silently chuckle from beside him.

"What are you two talking about?" John asked, taking a deep pull from his water bottle.

"I was thinking about giving Giles a new upgrade and wanted Felicity's advice," Alyson announced simply, causing the blonde to blush and stutter in a way Oliver knew she only did when she was highly flattered. He could understand why. Alyson was a genius, a whiz kid to rival the royalty on the east coast, and she was asking for Felicity's help.

Oliver could see the constantly growing admiration in their eyes, both of them. Alyson looked up to Felicity, always asking for advice or help. She saw the older woman as a big sister, and Felicity felt the same bond the other way. She was always willing to help and held a proud look in her eyes when Alyson boasted about a new idea. Oliver was glad that Alyson fit in so nicely with his girlfriend and the rest of the team.

Pulling his head out of the clouds  _again_  (though for a different reason this time), Oliver tuned back into the conversation Diggle had continued. Alyson had stopped rambling about her hopes for the new upgrade and Felicity took over with how she and the younger could implement the same technology into their computers at the Foundry. Diggle had the same confused-slash-impressed look on his face that anyone got when those two started talking. Oliver felt for the poor man.

"Felicity," Oliver chided with a smile to stop his love's adorable word vomit.

"Oh, right, English," she blushed.

"Why don't you tell us what's been going on lately out in the real world," he suggested, starting her on a new, albeit simpler, ramble.

"It's been quiet. Really quiet. Probably a bit too quiet. There were two small robberies and a five second mugging, but both were stopped by the cops or someone walking by almost immediately. There have been no super-villain killings, no seemingly magic heists, not a single jail-broken convict."

"It's all getting quite boring if you ask me," Alyson interjected.

Oliver snorted. If Alyson was getting bored, trouble would follow. "Nothing on Tommy?" he sighed.

Felicity shook her head quietly. "He's been silent, careful. He's keeping his face out of public I checked the energy grids. It looks like he's been staying in the old Merlyn house, but he's not using too much energy. He hasn't made any noise yet."

"But he will," Oliver promised. "It's only a matter of time before he acts."

"Are you sure it will be soon?" Alyson asked.

Oliver chuckled. "If there is one thing I'm sure of about Tommy, it's that he's very impatient. Nothing, not death, not reincarnation, not some creepy doctor, could change that."

And boy, was he right.

☆ S ☆ S ☆

All across the city, three things happened simultaneously.

Grant stuck candid photos of Felicity doing random, mundane things all across the walls of her house and left without a trace.

Tommy spray painted a big red warning across the windows of Oliver and Thea's apartment without even stirring the sleeping girl upstairs.

And a bomb detonated in Verdant, directly above the heads of Diggle, Felicity, Oliver and Alyson.


End file.
